TUI comment on proposal regarding new entrant pay

By piofficer, Monday, 24th September 2018 | 0 comments

Comment from the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) on today’s announcement regarding new entrant pay:

‘While this represents further movement, it won’t, of itself, deliver pay equality.

Because the most significant difference in scales will still be in the initial career stage, the TUI’s concern about the crisis of teacher recruitment and retention remains. As a result, schools will continue to struggle – and in some cases fail - to recruit and retain suitably qualified teachers across a range of subjects.

These proposals will be considered by the Union’s Executive Committee later this week.’

The following text is taken from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s website:

Terms of Agreement

*Agreed measure to address salary scale issues under Section 4 of the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) 2018-2020

The following measure has been agreed by the Parties to the PSSA, informed by the Report to the Houses of the Oireachtas by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in accordance with Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act.  It also reflects detailed discussions and analysis between the Public Services Committee and representatives of Public Service Employers. The outcome is considered the best that can be achieved in the context of the PSSA and the very significant other expenditure demands on the Exchequer for Budget 2019 and subsequent years.

Where two additional scale points were applied to pay scales under the Haddington Road Agreement, it is agreed that there will be two separate interventions in the pay scales as they apply to ‘new entrant’ public servants recruited since January 2011.

The two separate interventions will take place at point 4 and point 8 of pay scales. The practical effect of this is that for ‘new entrants’ the relevant points on the scale will be bypassed thereby reducing the time spent (by bypassing two increment points) on the scale for progression to the maximum point.

Where one additional scale point was applied to scales, a single point of intervention will apply at point 4.

This measure will apply from 1 March 2019 and will be applied to each eligible new entrant as they reach the relevant scale points (point 4 and point 8) on their current increment date.

Due to the interaction with normal increment progression, the above means that existing ‘new entrant’ staff whose next increment after 1 March 2019 is Point 7 or above on relevant scales will receive the benefit of both interventions on the date of their next normal increment. Existing ‘new entrant’ staff due to reach points 5 or 6 on relevant scales as their next normal increment will get the benefit of the first intervention on that date and the second when they progress to Point 8.

All of the above is subject to not exceeding the scale max. Where necessary the waiting time for Long Service Increments (LSIs) where they currently apply in relevant scales will be reduced by one or two years as appropriate as part of the implementation of the above measure.

The cost of this measure during the remaining term of the PSSA is €75m.The full cost of the measure based on current data and public service numbers (2017) will cost €190m out to 2026.It is estimated some 58% (35,750) of ‘new entrants’ will benefit from this measure in year 1 rising to 78% (47,750) by year 2.

The above measure will be given effect by way of a detailed Circular in due course.


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