A formal pay offer has been made to teaching unions in Northern Ireland.
Education minister Paul Givan said he hoped the offer would bring an end to industrial action and stabilise the system.
The Department of Education said the proposed settlement would result in the starting salary for teachers in Northern Ireland rising to £30,000, equating to a 24.3 per cent increase from the current starting salary and bringing the starting point in line with England.
It said the pay offer is a cumulative total of 10.4 per cent plus £1,000 being applied to the other teachers’ and leadership pay scales.
“I am pleased that there has been significant progress on the issue of the teachers’ pay, with a formal offer being made to the teaching unions,” said Mr Givan.
“This offer, which equates to a 24.3 per cent pay rise for beginning teachers, will help both attract and retain the best teachers to our schools.”
‘Unacceptable’ wait for teacher pay increase
He added: “It is unacceptable that teachers have been waiting three years for a pay increase. I have made it clear that my highest priority is to ensure that the teaching profession is paid at a rate which recognises the value of their profession.
“This is a positive step in that direction, and I commend the positive negotiations that have taken place within the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee (TNC), which consists of management and the trade unions representing teachers and school leaders.”
The five teaching unions that make up the Northern Ireland Teaching Council (NITC) are set to consult with their members on the proposals.
Long-running industrial action
Mr Givan urged teachers and school leaders to consider the formal offer, adding that, if accepted and implemented, it will “bring an end to all industrial action which has been ongoing since May 2022”.
“The ending of the industrial action will create the opportunity to stabilise our education system and allow us to build upon this towards the delivery of world-class education in Northern Ireland,” he said.
In a statement, the NITC said the draft agreement contains a pay offer that “has the potential to bring a settlement to the ongoing pay dispute”.
It said the agreement would lead to a “significant increase to the starting salary for teachers and an uplift in teachers’ and school leaders pay from 1 September 2023”.
“The constituent members of the NITC have agreed to consult members in the coming week, with a view to responding to the offer by 26 March,” it added.
The case has repeatedly been made recently that teacher pay in Northern Ireland does not compare well with the rest of the UK.
