Secondary teachers have been warned that a failure to accept the latest government pay proposals could result in them losing out on payments for substitution work.

Education minister Ruairi Quinn has called for the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) - which represents around 17,000 teachers - to ratify the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA), or payments for supervision and substitution work could be stopped, reports the Irish Independent.

Around 70 per cent of the ASTI's members volunteer for the work and are paid up to €1,769 a year for doing so. However, under the terms of the HRA, all teachers will be required to carry out these duties for no additional payment.

Mr Quinn has stated that the continued provision of these payments is "unsustainable". The Teachers Union of Ireland and the Irish National have already accepted the HRA proposals, but ASTI members are still expecting a further payment to be delivered in March 2014.

ASTI is set to poll its members on whether or not to accept the Haddington Road pay agreement, with the union's central executive council recommending that members reject the deal.

Written by Donal Walsh

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