The secretary general of the Department of Education has been accused by a teachers’ union of intervening in its ongoing ballot on proposals for additional working hours.

The ASTI has said Seán Ó Foghlú openly attacked the union at a conference of school managers last week.

The Secretary General of the Department of Education Seán Ó Foghlú, made comments about the ASTI’s ballot of its members on the issue of the Croke Park hours, at the Joint Managerial Body’s Annual Conference in Co. Kerry last week.

ASTI members are currently voting on the whether to support the introduction of the Croke Park Hours, which will result in schools extending their academic year by 33 hours from next September.

Mr. Ó Foghlú said issues of the ballot relating to these hours are very serious for the union’s members as well as for our schools.

In his speech, Mr. Ó Foghlú said any rejection of the Croke Park Hours would also lead to the union rejecting the Public Services Stability Agreement under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, which would have a range of implications.

The ASTI says these comments were “unprecedented” and believed they were targeted at the most vulnerable members of the teaching profession in particular, those in precarious employment.

Mr. Ó Foghlú also used his statement to call in the ASTI to accept an invitation from the Department to discuss the implementation of the Croke Park Hours.

The ASTI will continue to ballot its members until next week.