Woods promises benchmarking rises by December

The Minister for Education has told the INTO that members should begin to benefit from the benchmarking process before the end of the year.

Addressing the annual conference of the INTO in Tralee, Dr Michael Woods told the primary teachers union that members would receive from 25% of any benchmarking pay recommendations by December 1.

He added that he was glad the INTO had "recognised the potential" of the process and was taking it seriously.

The fruits of benchmarking would attract more young people to teaching as a career, which would be vital to the country's economic success in the future.