Mixed message and a long wait for teachers

ON the RTÉ radio news at 9pm on Tuesday night it was reported that Education Minister Noel Dempsey, when addressing the ASTI convention in Limerick, stated that “there was no scope for further pay rises outside the current national agreement”.

As a delegate to this convention I was surprised to hear this as I have no recollection of such a statement being made. Furthermore none of the delegates to whom I spoke could recollect these words. Could it be that the minister gave one speech to the convention and another to journalists? If so, why?

However, the minister did indicate that he might be prepared to review the length of the incremental pay scale. Currently, it takes a teacher 25 years to reach the top of this scale. This is the longest in Europe and is far longer than for gardaí or nurses.