Thousands of Leaving Certificate students face severe disruption next week when their oral exams will have to be moved to accommodate a one-day national strike.

Teacher unions voted to back Ictu's call for a one-day national strike next Monday 30 March, when oral exams will be in full swing.

A spokeswoman for the Asti, which represents secondary teachers, said this weekend that the State Exams Commission has agreed to defer any oral exams scheduled for Monday to later in the week.

All primary and secondary schools are due to close on 30 March in support of the Ictu one-day stoppage, although the INTO, which represents primary school teachers, said special needs schools would be exempt from the action.

The ASTI also plans a work-to-rule to start the following day, 31 March.

Elsewhere across the public and private sector there remains considerable confusion as to which businesses and state agencies will close in what is the first proposed national strike for almost 50 years.

Although there have been intense behind-the-scenes contacts between Taoiseach Brian Cowen, David Begg of Ictu and Turlough O'Sullivan of Ibec, in a bid to restart partnership talks on a national recovery plan, no basis for a resumption of talks has been agreed as yet which would allow the unions to call off the national strike.

Ictu has called on all unions to take strike action where the employer has refused to pay the national agreement but not where they have paid it or have engaged with the unions on the pay deal.

Accordingly, workers in the main banks, represented by the IBOA, and shop workers, represented by Mandate, will not be participating in the strike.

It is understood also that most construction workers have not been balloted for action.

In the more militant public sector, in addition to all government departments and agencies, Dublin Airport is likely to close, while train and bus drivers are also to strike for the day.

In the health service, while nurses and doctors have backed action, they have so far failed to reach agreement with the HSE on emergency cover in the event that the strike goes ahead.

The Ictu executive is to meet next Wednesday by which time union and employers leaders privately hope to have been invited in for talks.

editorial, page 21