Irish Examiner view: Teachers’ call opens up debate

Delegates voting on a motion at the Irish National Teachers' Organisation's annual conference in Killarney. Picture: Moya Nolan

The call from the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) for a cost-of-living allowance to be paid to teachers based in expensive cities opens up debate across a number of fronts.

In the broadest sense, the call is an acknowledgement of a disturbing fact — that qualified professionals cannot afford to live in some parts of the country because of the high cost of living.

Although rent pressure zones in various urban areas are the focus of the INTO’s call, it was Dublin which was mentioned when the issue was discussed at the INTO annual congress this week, and clearly the problem is more pronounced in the capital than elsewhere.

Delegates have heard that schools in Dublin are already finding it difficult to recruit teachers because they cannot afford to live in Dublin, and the comparison was made with London, where there can be a ‘weighting’ with teacher salaries to offset the high cost of living in the English capital.

Yet, though a similar initiative here is proposed based on admirable principles, it also raises other questions.

What would be a fair allowance to allocate to teachers on top of their basic salaries — enough to live comfortably in the most expensive residential areas of Dublin? And how would such an allowance be allocated with teachers who are Dublin natives?

This latter point is worth exploring, because if non-Dubliners cannot afford to teach in Dublin, then the only people available to teach in the capital will be those already living within the boundary set by the M50.

Delegates hold up cards with messages for Education Minister Norma Foley at the Irish National Teachers' Organisation's annual congress in Killarney. Picture: Moya Nolan

The implications of this development are not confined to teaching either, but may have an impact on many different parts of the public service in the widest sense.

There is a long history of people from all over Ireland working in all branches of the public service in the capital, and, in theory at least, that variety of backgrounds and origins informs the operation of those public services, whether in practice or in policy.

If accommodation costs are prohibitive in the capital, however, that means many arms of the State may become over-reliant on Dublin natives.

It is also worth pointing out that the national pay agreement, Building Momentum, comes to an end later this year. We may soon hear similar calls for extra allowances from others in the public sector.