31st January 2025
A short period for consultation with members will begin from today, Friday 31 January to Wednesday 5th February at 5pm. Following this survey Northern Committee will make a final decision on the offer, and will communicate this to Management Side and Members. The survey link was emailed to members on Friday 31 January – titled ‘NI Member Update – Consultation with Members on Pay Offer’
In the mean time, actions will be taken to protect the Industrial Action ballot result from 16 December 2024.
At a meeting of NITC and Management side on Thursday 30 January 2025, an offer in relation to pay was tabled.
Details of Management Side’s formal offer are set out below.
Teachers’ Pay 2024-25
1. In addition to the incremental progression within salary scales which is payable by contractual entitlement, teacher salary scale points will be revalorised as follows:
i. A 5.5% cost of living award for all teachers will be paid from 1 September 2024
ii. Teaching and Special Needs Allowances will be increased by 5.5% paid from 1 September 2024.
The pay award and allowance increases will cost £48.5m in 2024/25 with £83m annual recurring cost thereafter.
Workforce Reviews & Workload
2 Management Side recognise the importance of ensuring a balanced workload in the context of the Jordanstown Agreement and the Workload Agreement TNC 2024/02 which states a teacher’s basic minimum legal contractual requirement is as follows:
a. To be available for work for 195 days in any year, of which not more than 190 days should involve teaching children in a classroom situation.
b. To work for 1,265 hours in any year exclusive of time spent off school premises in preparing and marking lessons.
c. To teach no more than 25 hours in any week in a primary or special school and 23.5 hours in any week in a secondary school.
3 Central to the Jordanstown Agreement is the concept of Directed Time. Directed time means time spent on any activity which the Principal has determined that the teacher shall undertake. Directed time may not exceed 1,265 hours per year nor apply to more than 195 days. Guidance is available to Principals on how to use the 1,265 hours in seeking to reach an agreement with teachers in terms of how to use the 1,265 hours. Under the terms of the Jordanstown Agreement teachers do not have the freedom to decide for themselves how they use their time budget.
4 Management Side also recognises that the workforce reviews included recommendations on workload. A range of these have already been implemented, and this agreement commits to progressing a programme of work in conjunction with the NITC across the following 5 themes:
o Workload & Assessment Associated with New Initiatives
o Working Hours
o Consultation
o School Leaders
o Accessibility to Teachers’ Terms & Conditions
The following additional areas that were identified during formal negotiations on pay, have also been agreed for incorporation into the programme of work:
o Workload Agreement 2024/2 & Directed Time Budgets
o Workload Associated with Assessments (Controlled & Statutory)
Industrial Action & Industrial Relations’ Reset
5 To underpin the delivery of a long-term, sustained period of stability NITC is invited to:
• Agree that industrial action should only be taken as a last resort in any dispute, and therefore, alongside Management Side, commit to act in line with the Code of Practice: Industrial Action Ballots and Notice to
Employers at all times.
• Commit to a period free from Industrial Action and the threat of Industrial Action in the context of the agreed future pay negotiation timeframes and implementation of the agreed work programme.
• Work jointly with Management Side to implement the 2024/25 pay agreement and the delivery of the agreed programme of work and within the context of the Jordanstown Agreement.
6 Management Side are committed to continued transparency regarding timeframes for negotiations on pay. In the current financial climate and annual budget process, Management Side are committed to making a formal pay offer by no later than the end of January of the same financial year, in response to the submitted pay claim.
In relation to Industrial stability, the parties are committed to industrial stability and agree that delivery of the workforce review programme of work will mean that conditions are being met to be free from industrial action.
Negotiations around the workload emanating from the end to End review of SEN will also continue.
Northern Committee and CEC agreed that there is enough in the deal to recommend acceptance to members.
A short period for consultation with members will begin from today, Friday 31 January to Wednesday 5th February at 5pm. Following this survey Northern Committee will make a final decision on the offer, and will communicate this to Management Side and Members.
In the mean time, actions will be taken to protect the Industrial Action ballot result from 16 December 2024.