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Public Sector Pay

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2021

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

Questions (725)

Holly Cairns

Question:

725. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education the steps she is taking to provide pay parity between teachers who qualified pre-2011 and post-2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30842/21]

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Written answers

The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702 and as a result of the programme of pay restoration the starting salary of a teacher is now €37,692. This will increase to €38,692 by October 2022 under the current pay agreement, Building Momentum.

Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for Public Expenditure and Reform] shall within three months of the passing of this Act prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the cost of and a plan in dealing with pay equalisation for new entrants to the public service.” The report laid before the Oireachtas on foot of this provision by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform assessed the cost of a further change which would provide a two scale point adjustment to new entrants recruited since 2011. The total cost of such an adjustment across the public sector is of the order of €200 million of which Education accounts for approximately €83 million. The report also acknowledged that during the financial crisis there were policy changes which affected remuneration in different occupations across the public sector (including education).

The matter of new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue not just an issue for the education sector alone. The Government has supported the gradual negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants The total year one cost of equalising the pay of new entrant teachers to the pre-2011 arrangements is estimated to be in the region of €59 million per annum in year one (€45 million for full resolution of pay scales and €14 million for re-instatement of the H.Dip allowance). The costs would rise in subsequent years as more new entrants join the system.

On 24 September 2018, an agreement was reached between the Government and the public services committee of ICTU in respect of new entrant pay. This agreement is benefitting 18,000 teachers and nearly 5,000 SNAs within the education sector. The deal provided for a series of incremental jumps for new entrants. I am fully aware that the teacher unions had outstanding issues of concern following the September 2018 agreement. These outstanding matters were given full consideration and under the new pay agreement.

On 10 December 2020, a new public service pay agreement Building Momentum was agreed following formal discussions between DPER and the Public Services Committee of ICTU, with consultation and input from the sectors, including my Department. There is a specific provision in relation to new entrant teacher pay which allows for the skipping of Point 12 of the pay scale, which is a further improvement in pay for new entrant teachers. This measure will resolve in full the remaining salary scale issues pertaining to new entrant teachers. My Department is currently working on the implementation of this and it is anticipated that this will come into effect shortly.

These measures for new entrants have been achieved through continued engagement and collective bargaining between the Government and the public service unions and that continued engagement and collective bargaining between the Government and the public service unions can bring.

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