Here are 12 issues you are likely to hear plenty about next year, from school patronage to industrial strife

OECD report shows Ireland has one of highest rates of second-level completion

‘Curtailment gain’ of €10.8m arises from changes to defined benefit pension schemes

Teachers in dispute over Lansdowne Road pay deal and Junior Cycle reform

Union chief Pat King warns teachers could forfeit up to €6,700 in increments over stance

Active opposition could cost teachers significant sums of money in lost increments

Union shows no signs of backing down but it’s unclear if teachers have stomach for fight

Only 38 per cent of ASTI members opt to vote, rejecting plan by narrow margin

Plus: who’d be general secretary of the ASTI?

ASTI Fightback appeals to teachers to vote No to new Junior Cycle despite union stance

Odds stacked against northern pretenders, but reaching last eight exposes potential

Good teachers are on their way to the top of the class

New ‘profile of achievement’ to be issued by schools rather than the state

Lunch demonstrations by ASTI and TUI mounted over objections to student assessment

Two delegates from Fermoy branch make influential contribution at conference

GAA believes Kingdom’s rise to Division One B vindicates promotion system

Minister hailed for her ‘great skill at defusing rows’ gets a merit badge from the unions

Teachers seek end to different pay scales based on when they entered profession

General secretary Pat King warns delegates to ‘beware of promises of income tax cuts’

Special education resources, teachers’ pay, smaller class sizes, halting casualisation: we ask teachers which areas need most investment

The ASTI seems to be taking its cue from the famous Millwall football chant ‘No one likes us, we don’t care’

ASTI says ‘any precipitous action’ by Minister for Education would escalate dispute

Unions may consider further strike action after Minister rebuffs plea for more talks

TUI and ASTI welcome broad support and prepare battle lines for January strike

Like other trade unions, the ASTI has been struggling to get younger members involved

Hotel group’s chief urges Government to retain 9% VAT rate

Teachers’ union votes overwhelmingly to extend industrial action but turnout was low

Jan O’Sullivan says new apprenticeship council will ‘broaden opportunities’

Minister for Education plans to forge ahead with ‘technological universities’ by merging ITs

Pat King claims he recieved death threats and ‘despicable references’ to his children

Protesters’ behaviour at teacher conference described as ‘extremist’ by ASTI general secretary

ASTI and TUI meetings open today amid concerns over education reforms

Survey finds only 44 per cent of secondary teachers satisfied with job

Some 27,000 second-level teacher union members to vote on industrial action

Asti, Tui members to vote on withdrawal of co-operation; Quinn say it is not an industrial relations dispute

Three-bedroom suite in four-star hotel in Kensington will cost up to £2,700 a night

Government commitments must be met or the union would take ’strong action’

Payments to be removed by mid-January

ASTI says one day in-service training for teachers is ‘totally inadequate’

Union urges teachers to vote ‘No’ in ballot on Haddington Road agreement