31st March 2022
Allowances of Principal Teachers and Deputy Principals increased from 1 February 2022
Following protracted negotiations between the INTO senior leadership team and officials from the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, agreement has been reached to settle a number of claims submitted by this union.
By far the most significant aspect of the settlement reached, is payment of the long-standing award to principals and deputy principals, as recommended by the second public service benchmarking body in 2007. Following publication of this recommendation, more than fourteen years ago, the subsequent financial crash led to the reneging of payment by successive governments. Throughout this period, the INTO continued to work to secure payment on behalf of affected members.
The INTO negotiating team, mindful of the incredible service undertaken by principals and deputy principals for decades, were determined to deliver salary and pension uplifts for serving and retired school leaders, and this has now been secured.
While the claims settled today do not fully equalise allowances for primary principals and deputies with those paid to post-primary school leaders, which has been a long-standing bone of contention, the INTO has secured a settlement in excess of that set out in the 2007 adjudication.
Of note, is the redesignation of the status of the second teacher as the deputy principal in small schools with only two teachers. This was a key objective of the union for many years.
The lifting of the cap on allowances from one based on a maximum of 36 teaching posts to match the system at post-primary, where there has been a greater range of allowances for principals and deputy principals in very large schools, is also a big win for the INTO.
These two developments will bring additional benefit over and above the recommendations of the benchmarking body to approximately one hundred principals and three hundred deputies.
Changes to allowances of school leaders
The tables of allowances for principals and deputy principals of primary and special schools are to be re-configured, effective from 1 February 2022.
The intended effects of the proposed reconfiguration are as follows:
- Schools with 1 to 5 teachers will see principals and deputy principals paid two points higher on the table of allowances.
- Second teachers in schools with only two teachers are to be redesignated as deputy principals and paid the same as deputy principals in 3 to 5 teacher schools.
- Principals and deputy principals in schools with 6 to 35 teaching positions are to be paid one point higher on the tables of allowances.
- Four extra points are to be added to the tables of allowances for principals and deputy principals of primary and special schools: principals and deputy principals where there are 36-40 teaching posts, 41-50 teaching posts, 51-60 positions and 61+ positions.
We have also received confirmation from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that the increases from 1 February to the leadership allowances for those who held the positions of principal teacher or deputy principal on 1 February 2022, will be reflected in the pensions and gratuities of principals and deputy principals who have retired since then.
Reacting to confirmation of the payment of the 2007 benchmarking award, INTO President Joe McKeown said:
“At the heart of an effective trade union is a determination to protect the interests of its membership and hold government to account. The payment of this award, which has been overdue for nearly fifteen years, addresses another long-standing equality issue and closes a shameful chapter in Irish education, when the word of Government regarding an independent adjudication could not be counted on. Through a decade of austerity, this union never gave up our right to this claim and I want to thank the negotiation team who refused to back down or accept a watered-down offer from government. I also want to thank the many INTO activists who kept the faith and supported the work of the union to keep this claim up front over the last decade.”
The INTO General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary and President are continuing negotiations on sectoral bargaining with a view to settling a claim for the restoration of posts of responsibility to address the decimation of middle management teams in schools caused by the moratorium on promotions introduced by Government in 2009.
Changes to Principal Teacher Allowance (Primary Level)
| Existing Category Listing | Primary School Size* | Rate at
1/10/21 |
Revised Category Listing | Revised Primary School Size* | Revised Rate
from 1/02/22 |
| I | 1-5 | €9,898 | I | 1-5 | €13,011 |
| II | 6-7 | €11,091 | II | 6-7 | €13,011 |
| III | 8-11 | €13,011 | III | 8-11 | €15,267 |
| IV | 12-13 | €15,267 | IV | 12-13 | €17,760 |
| V | 14-16 | €17,760 | V | 14-16 | €20,289 |
| VI | 17-19 | €20,289 | VI | 17-19 | €22,737 |
| VII | 20-23 | €22,737 | VII | 20-23 | €25,212 |
| VIII | 24-26 | €25,212 | VIII | 24-26 | €27,033 |
| IX | 27-30 | €27,033 | IX | 27-30 | €28,914 |
| X | 31-35 | €28,914 | X | 31-35 | €31,656 |
| XI | 36+ | €31,656 | XI | 36-40 | €33,511 |
| XII | 41-50 | €37,096 | |||
| XIII | 51-60 | €38,305 | |||
| XIV | 61+ | €41,547 |
*Authorised Posts
Changes to Deputy Principal Teacher Allowance (Primary Level)
| Existing Category Listing | Primary School Size* | Rate at
1/10/21 |
Revised Category Listing | Revised Primary School Size* | Revised Rate
from 1/02/22 |
| I | 1-5 | €4,007 | I | 1-5 | €6,932 |
| II | 6-7 | €5,244 | II | 6-7 | €6,932 |
| III | 8-11 | €6,932 | III | 8-11 | €8,689 |
| IV | 12-13 | €8,689 | IV | 12-13 | €10,390 |
| V | 14-16 | €10,390 | V | 14-16 | €12,166 |
| VI | 17-19 | €12,166 | VI | 17-19 | €13,875 |
| VII | 20-23 | €13,875 | VII | 20-23 | €15,554 |
| VIII | 24-26 | €15,554 | VIII | 24-26 | €16,877 |
| IX | 27-30 | €16,877 | IX | 27-30 | €18,167 |
| X | 31-35 | €18,167 | X | 31-35 | €20,164 |
| XI | 36+ | €20,164 | XI | 36-40 | €21,400 |
| XII | 41-50 | €24,075 | |||
| XIII | 51-60 | €24,599 | |||
| XIV | 61+ | €26,876 |
*Authorised Posts
Following the earlier negotiation by the INTO of three increment skips for post-2010 entrants to primary teaching, thereby guaranteeing that such teachers who were in full-time employment in primary and special schools had no future career earning’s losses, the INTO set about securing uplifts to the hourly rate of pay and daily casual substitution rate for post-2010 entrants who are not in full-time employment.
Circular Letter 0017/2022 signals a significant improvement of approximately 10% to these rates of pay retrospective to 1 February 2022.
These rates are effective from 1 February 2022 (or date of appointment, if later).
| Category | Current Rate
From 1/10/21 |
Current Value of Statutory Annual Leave Accumulated per Day/Hour Worked
From 1/10/21 |
New Rate
From 1/02/2022 |
New Value of Statutory Annual Leave Accumulated per Day/Hour Worked
From 1/02/2022 |
| Daily casual qualified | €176.04 | €21.76 | €192.83 | €23.83
|
| Hourly qualified | €35.21 | €4.35 | €38.57 | €4.77 |
Payment of Secure Unit Allowance
Through the Teachers’ Conciliation Council, the INTO pursued an allowance for members who work in secure units. The adjudication process supported the INTO’s claim in October 2016, but as no cost-increasing claims were permissible the claim was not settled.
Today’s circular announces the settlement of this claim for Primary teachers who work in certain secure units/secure care settings.
The payment of the Secure Unit/Disturbed Adolescent Allowance, currently paid to teachers working in the Oberstown Detention Centre, is being extended to primary teachers in the following four special care units:
- Ballydowd in Dublin
- Crannog Nua in Dublin
- St. Canice’s Special School in Limerick and
- Coláiste Árd Álainn in Cork
Arrangements for the Payment of the Allowance
The rate applicable is set out below. This rate is effective from 1 February 2022 (or date of appointment, if later).
| Allowance | Rate from 1/02/2022 |
| Secure Unit Allowance | €2,334 |
The INTO will advise members of the payment dates for the above settlements as soon as they become available.