The ASTI union, which represents secondary school teachers, says the indemnity offered to teachers to work on the emergency Leaving Cert process put in place this year “falls short of what is required”.

The Leaving Cert will be based on a system of calculated grades as State exams had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The union has sought to have full indemnity available for teachers while they undertake this work.

Liabilities

Details of an indemnity for schools and teachers were published by the Department of Education and skills on Thursday.

After taking legal advice, however, the ASTI said that the current position was unacceptable, and could potentially lead to personal liabilities for costs for second-level teachers.

Engage

The union is advising its members not to work on the process until the issue is resolved, though it says it will continue to engage with the Department of Education and Skills to secure the necessary provisions.

Its General Secretary Kieran Christie told RTÉ this morning that the current indemnity appeared to cover only solicitor costs, but not the other expenses that need to be dealt with. He said he also had concerns about the determination of costs.