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THE TRADE UNION representing the country’s primary school teachers has recommend that its members accept revised public pay proposals from the Labour Relations Commission.
The recommendation comes after the Irish National Teachers’ Organiation’s central executive met in Dublin this afternoon to consider its response to the revised proposals.
The proposals – details of which were published yesterday – will still see teachers lose their annual supervision allowance for supervising ‘yard duty’, but will instead see teachers’ pay increased from 2016-17 onward.
Primary teachers will be paid an extra €650 for that academic year, and €1,300 every year afterwards, to make up for the lost allowance.
The alternative proposals also scale back on plans forcing teachers to cover for their colleagues on bereavement leave and uncertified sick leave. In the revised proposals, the first day of this leave will be covered by a substitute.
The increment scale for teachers who entered the profession in the last two years is also adjusted upward, while freezes for increments for teachers on salaries over €65,000 will be scaled back.
High-earning employees will now have two six-month delays for any increments they are due, instead of facing a three-year freeze on any pay increases as had been arranged under the original deal.
INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan said the alternative deal now on the table was “better than the government’s alternative proposals”, saying the three-year increment freeze and a permanent loss of allowances “would have a far worse impact on earnings”.
She added that a vote in favour of the deal was “not an endorsement, but an opinion that it is the better of two alternatives”.
The union’s 32,000 members will now be balloted on whether to accept the proposals. Last week members voted to undertake industrial action if the government tried to proceed with unilateral pay cuts.
INTO members rejected the original ‘Croke Park 2′ proposals by 69.5 per cent to 30.5 per cent in their ballot last month. In that instance, the INTO had not issued a recommendation on how its members should have voted.
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Disgraceful sellout from the INTO leadership. Easy to see that this isn’t affecting their own large bureaucrats’ salaries! Nunan should resign. INTO members are furious at the lack of representation by their union leadership. This was not what they were mandated to do!
The INTO leadership is a disgrace! A lot of teachers are on the edge of financial survival now…neither myself nor any of my colleagues is on €65k per annum. Or anything like it. Sheila and Noel are on huge salaries and totally out of touch with those of us struggling to say mortgages and property taxes and USC and pension levies,the list goes on. We have to say STOP!
Colm, what is the average teacher on, be honest….
24000 per year after tax (before tax = 32000) that covers roughly the first 15 years of teaching (nqt’s are lower again)
INTO “Leadership”…..
Wonder what “sweetener” they got.
Disgraceful decision,
#NunanOut
Thanks Labour. Increasing wages. In a broke country….
Pay is being cut by €1800 in july on the ‘promise’ that €650 will be paid back in 2017.
That ain’t a pay rise
Sheila is an embarrassment to her members.
“And 1,300 every year after that” . Thats an increase on my calulator.
Like all union representatives, it is in their interest to have a cozy deal in place. What do they then have to do for the next few years if industrial peace breaks out ? Does anyone know what these overpaid ( by their members might I add) people do then ?
Brian – your calculator is broken.
The language used in this article to describe the 650/1300 is poor.
It’s not “extra”.
1770 is taken away, 1300 will eventually return. In the meantime, that’s a drop, and long term, that’s a drop.
#SheilaOut
Divide & conquer is an age old tactic that works well in the modern age.
So it’s not really a cut – but a deferral?
No, it’s a cut. Check your math.
Which they will be given back. Check your logic.
which they will be given back in part and what they lose in the meantime will never be given back, thus not deferred.
Hope they vote no and face compulsory redundancy. My child is taught by job sharing primary teachers. No that’s not made up. Job sharing. They’re forever swapping days and calling in sick. They should both be sacked and a young teacher employed in their place.
So what, teachers job share. Your children are still getting an education.
Job sharing??!!!
Lets get ‘em!!!!!
@Scrap – I’d agree that hardly seems like an ideal situation.
One of the teachers could have a chronic illness – and the school may just be doing the right thing by that teacher and the pupils by ensuring that if they are to get a different teacher, then at least it will be the same teacher substituting rather than randomly going to a list each time.
What you should be doing is talking to the principal about it and asking why your kid isn’t getting the consistency you would expect.
Recommend it all they want, the members will vote it down because they have nothing to lose
If it was voted down by a ratio of 2:1 the last time, when the union made no recommendation I reckon they will get it over the line.
Me too Pablo. Once it’s recommended by the unions, the old country auld wans will follow like sheep. Think it’ll pass myself.
I don’t think it will pass, there is no carrot or stick from the government, so why agree
where are the unions fighting for peopole instead of just lyning down as usual
It wouldn’t matter what they offered Nunan would have jumped at it regardless- heaven forbid she’d have to step up to the plate and actually lead the union!!!
How can they be so blind. The government now knows that it can divide and bribe.
Cossetted teachers. Ahh. Nice to have your busted employer throw incentives at ya.
But that means NQTs get an even bloody worse deal. First it meant that they wouldn’t get to cover the first day of substitution but now it seems like they only get the first day and none subsequent to that. I’m thinking of giving up on trying to enter this fking profession and becoming a binman.
Its ridiculous. I know that most NQTs rely heavily on those sub hours to build experience and to find some work. Won’t be surprised to see more emigrating teachers now.
Unfortunately Orly neither the government nor the unions care. The government know well that there are plenty of other teachers to fill the jobs in most cases and the unions don’t care because they are more interested in always being able to say they protect jobs, even if they come out pushing a yes vote for such a shady deal.
Like yourself, I’m finding it hard to see any point in continuing to pursue a profession which is quite simply undervalued – (and in far more ways than just money).
They also know that no matter what happens with education, teachers will be the first port of call for blame. No matter how poorly treated teachers are, by and large, they will still do their jobs – they won’t fail their pupils because it’s quite simply not the fault of pupils.
And so, the govt will shrug their shoulders and say “what was all the fuss about?” with little understanding about the direct challenges posed by cuts.
Tony, are you teaching for long? Primary or secondary school?
Also, would any of the downvoters care to elaborate? I wasn’t dissing the bin collection profession, just making the point that I wasted my time, money and energy studying to enter a profession which is now verging on impossible to enter. I really don’t want to go abroad and leave everything behind – I play in various bands around Cork to subsidise my income but money’s incredibly tight at the moment. I’m trying to save but because money is contingent on work I might have to just give up teaching altogether and focus full-time on my care work and music. I’d imagine many people my age who studied teaching are in a similar position.
Just at the start of the economic mess I was made redundant and went back to college to study. I’ve only graduated (secondary) last August.
So far, the work I’ve gotten has been the amazing, astounding total of 15 days substituting…. A complete balls!
• Loss of the €1800 supervision/substitution allowance will represent an immediate 4% cut in salary for a teacher earning €45K which will remain in place for 3.25 years (Sept ’16) and won’t be reversed after 4.25 years.
• Based on a 2% annual inflation rate, in Sept ’17 the €45K will be worth 8% less, so the teacher will have absorbed a permanent 4% drop in effective salary starting on 1 July ’13, if my maths are correct.
Is this a victory for the union?
OMG watch out for the FACKIN grammar police on any teacher story !
It’s O.M.G Paul, not OMG. Tee hee heecher.
Into heads should be fired…..another sell-out!
have your say