Teachers seek 10% wage increase to bridge gap to private sector salaries
The 70-page claim submitted by the three main teacher unions will be considered by the group recently appointed to examine the pay of all public servants.
The first PSBB report in 2002 gave teachers a 13% increase, slightly higher than the average award, which was phased in until June 2005.
In their submission, the Association of Secondary Teachers’ Ireland (ASTI), Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), said a significant gap exists between the lifetime earnings of teachers and of relative comparators in the private sector.
The salary of a teacher on the first point of the scale, common to primary and second level, is just over €29,500 and rises to €57,403 after 25 years’ service. Depending on their qualifications, all teachers also receive annual allowances ranging from €1,757 up to more than €6,000 for those with a doctorate degree.
The unions warn that the disparity between private and public sector salaries at the top end of the scale underlines the retention challenge that will be increasingly felt in the education sector.
Their claim is supported by a report from consultants BDO Simpson Xavier, showing that while teachers are paid on a par with other professions early in their careers, a considerable gap starts to emerge after the first five years. For example, a chartered accountant begins on €27,500 but earns €57,200 after five years, whereas the average teacher’s earnings rise from €36,000 to almost €40,800 in the same time.
As well as the 10% increase demand, teachers are seeking improved qualifications allowances and an allowance to those working in schools designated as disadvantaged, schools for young offenders and high support units. It is also proposed to reduce the 25-year teachers’ salary scale by three years.
The outcome of the PSBB’s deliberations are expected to be published next summer.
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