15th December 2020
Following detailed consideration, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation has decided to recommend to its 42,000 members in the Republic of Ireland, that they vote to accept the proposals in Building Momentum: A New Public Sector Agreement.
The INTO members had given a clear mandate to the CEC at successive Easter Congresses over the last ten years, that in every future set of negotiations the union should prioritise:
- Payscale issues for post-2010 entrants to primary teaching
- Increased allowances for primary school leaders; and
- A general pay round for all members.
Pay inequality – payscale issues addressed
The CEC welcomes the commitment that post-2010 entrants to teaching will skip point 12 of the pay scale, thereby ensuring that those who graduated from 2011 to 2014 and who suffered the most from pay inequality, will have no future losses. The additional increment skip begins on 1 March 2021 for the first cohort who entered the profession nearly ten years previously and restores the length of the teachers’ salary scale to 24 points.
General pay increase
A general pay increase of a minimum of €1000 payable in two €500 moieties in October 2021 and October 2022 also improves salaries for those in early career years, as well as members who joined the profession before that date.
Principals’ allowances – the top priority for Sectoral Bargaining Fund
The Central Executive Committee has committed to using the lion’s share of the 1% quantum of primary teachers’ payroll dedicated to sectoral bargaining within the proposed agreement to deliver long-awaited increases in salaries for primary school leaders by 1 February 2022.
General pay rounds in 2021 and 2022
The CEC noted that the proposed new public service agreement, to run from 1 January 2021 until 31 December 2022, if ratified, increases salaries for all members and builds on the recent 2% pay restoration under the Public Service Stability Agreement.
Affirmation for tremendous work of teachers in primary and special schools
The INTO leadership noted that the proposals acknowledge the recent “unprecedented display of commitment, flexibility, hard work and agility “of its members, who continue to ensure that schools remain open safely while addressing challenges that have arisen for children during the pandemic.
Information Campaign and balloting
The INTO will publish a detailed analysis of the draft agreement and an FAQ document for members in early January. Next month, the union will hold consultation meetings in every branch across the country. Balloting is expected to be completed within a month of schools reopening after the Christmas break.
Click here for revised text of Sections 5.4.3 and 5.5.3 of Building Momentum provided by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.