Schools in Ireland to reopen tomorrow as ASTI suspend strike action

Hundreds of secondary schools throughout the country will reopen on Wednesday after the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) took the decision to suspend industrial action.

The ASTI released a statement on Tuesday evening, which read: “Earlier today the ASTI was invited by the Chair of the Teachers’ Conciliation Council Ms Anna Perry to enter talks to explore possibilities to end our current industrial relations disputes. “The ASTI Standing Committee has accepted this invitation. “The ASTI has agreed to defer its directive on supervision and substitution and its strike action to facilitate this process for the duration of the process. It is expected that this process will continue until the end of November. “ASTI members will be available to carry out their full range of duties tomorrow and we expect that all second-level schools will be open.” Last month, the ASTI announced their intention to strike for seven days over lower pay for recently qualified teachers and what they claim are worsening terms and conditions for ASTI members.