‘Unequal pay and low retention a threat to teaching’

The retention of teachers and new entrants in a sector with pay inequality is a threat to the education system, a union leader has warned.

In advance of today’s planned action, Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) president, Joanne Irwin, said an already bad situation will get worse, ahead of the next school year, unless pay parity is restored for teachers employed since 2011.

A TUI survey, she said, points to 29% of recent entrants envisaging leaving the profession within 10 years, primarily due to lower pay rates. Applications for post-primary teaching have plummeted by 62% since 2011.