Teachers demand pay inquiry

THE teaching union representing 70 part-time teachers who face being made to pay back thousands of euro which was wrongly paid to them has demanded an independent body examine exactly how much money is owed.

The City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee (CDVEC) was yesterday meeting some of the 70 part-time teachers it overpaid by as much as €12,000 in what it described as an ‘error’ in the calculation and payment of arrears.

Most of the overpayments are thought to range between €2,000 and €5,000, with a few beyond €10,000.

The Teaching Union of Ireland wants an outside body to analyse the VEC’s figures.

“If it made a mistake on one side, who is to say it has not made a mistake on the other,” said TUI president Tim O’Meara.

The union also insisted that a ‘fair and reasonable’ repayment method be found to enable those teachers affected to pay back the money slowly.

“Part-time teachers are our most vulnerable members,” said Mr Healy.

“This is public money which has to be repaid, butI think a very humaneapproach must be taken by the VEC on how the payments must be made,because people will have made financial commitments.

“Each case should be judged on its own merits. For example, many people will have made commitments based on the overpayment.”

He said he was not aware of something of this nature happening with the VECs before, only that there had been delays in payment to teachers in some cases.

“We have never had mistakes of this magnitude, especially happening to part-time teachers who are living a hand-to-mouth existence as it is.”