Anger at call for parity on teacher salaries

Junior education minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor is under fire from some of her ministerial colleagues, who have described her comments on teachers’ pay as “deeply unhelpful”.

Ms Mitchell O’Connor has caused controversy by saying young teachers should be paid the same as their senior colleagues, despite the continuation of a two-tier system by the Government.

Teachers who started work after 2010 earn 14% less than colleagues, after sweeping cuts following the economic crash.