Too soon to discuss new Croke Park deal: Teachers

Teachers have said it is too soon to begin talking about details of any successor to the Croke Park pay deal after Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said he believed additional hours should be provided instead of pay cuts.

Although the public service pay agreement does not lapse until the end of next year, Mr Quinn said in a weekend interview he prefers the idea of additional hours being provided by teachers to avoid any further cuts to their pay.

The country’s 60,000 teachers are already signed up to an extra hour per week of non-classroom work in return for protection of their pay and Mr Quinn has said he believes the deal has delivered improvements in education.