Consultant settlement points the way to pay restoration for teachers

Imperative for Government to restore public sector pay levels following today’s settlement.

This morning, the HSE has settled a case with the public-sector hospital consultants who experienced a pay cut at the height of the recent recession and are entitled to have their original pay levels restored. This ruling must act as a wake-up call to Government to restore new entrant pay for teachers.

A process is currently underway, to address salary scale issues for post-January 2011 entrants, between public service unions and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. INTO’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) is closely monitoring the process and remains focussed on achieving an outcome that will be put to a ballot of members, in accordance with the recent Congress vote.

This engagement under the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) involves multiple grades across a wide range of the public-sector unions. It follows the publication in March of a government report examining the remaining salary scale issues for post January-2011 entrants to the public service.

At today’s meeting of INTO’s Central Executive Committee, members noted the settlement and called on Government to similarly resolve the issue of pay inequality for teachers.