EDUCATION MINISTER JAN O’Sullivan has said she doesn’t want to talk about disciplining teachers who refuse to implement junior cycle reforms.

She said she would be pressing ahead with implementation of the contentious reforms, after representatives of unions the TUI and ASTI said they didn’t accept all compromise measures being put forward by Dr Pauric Travers, who has been chairing talks between the two sides.

“I’m not talking about discipline. What I’m talking about now is implementing a policy that is needed for the students,” O’Sullivan told reporters at the Labour party conference this morning

“I’m not talking about discipline but I am encouraging the teachers to engage with this process.”

She insisted that the revised measures put forward by Travers after the latest round of talks were proposed as a basis for agreement, not for further negotiation.

“In effect what the unions have said – that they see it as a basis for further negotiations, that isn’t acceptable. It is not what Dr Travers put forward.”

Unions

The unions said, in a joint statement, that the Travers document “while not representing a comprehensive resolution, represents a basis for further intensive negotiations”.

They called for further engagement to take place on key issues “without delay”.