More than 25% of teachers in negative equity

By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent

Monday, April 05, 2010

MORE than one-in-four teachers with a mortgage are in negative equity, according to a survey of teachers.

The financial pressures facing particularly the younger members of the profession will be among the key themes at the annual conferences of the three main teacher unions this week.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), whose annual congress opens in Galway this evening, surveyed almost 350 members about their financial circumstances and found almost two-thirds are stressed by money worries.

With just under half of primary teachers in the job a decade or less, the impact on the profession of property price collapses is evident in the findings.

Almost 30% of INTO members surveyed who own a home with a mortgage (63 out of 220) said they are in negative equity, and 40% of them indicated they may have to rearrange their repayments or have already done so.

A lack of trust in the Government’s ability to stabilise the economy is strongly felt, with just 11% of those surveyed confident of the coalition’s ability to do so and only 14% expressing confidence that the economy will improve this year or in 2011.

Although its executive is recommending acceptance of the public service pay and reform deal, delegates and leaders of the INTO are expected to vent anger at the Government’s handling of the economic crisis at the union’s annual congress. Tánaiste and Education Minister Mary Coughlan will try to appease some anger when she addresses the 750 delegates tomorrow morning.

Although she will not attend this year’s annual convention of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) which begins in Galway tomorrow, Ms Coughlan and her government colleagues can also expect to be the subject of heavy criticism there. The union’s standing committee last week expressed vehement opposition to the new deal finalised between union and Government officials, but a decision on whether to recommend refusal or acceptance will be made by ASTI’s central executive council after the convention on Friday.

The deal provides for no further pay cuts for teachers or other public servants, as long as the economy does not worsen again in the next four years, but in return they will be expected to offer an extra hour’s work per week and increased availability for supervision and substitution duties.

The motions listed for debate at the ASTI convention include a proposal to resist further pay cuts or work condition changes in return for guarantees against cuts.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, April 05, 2010