Three Northern Ireland teaching unions vote to accept pay offer from Department of Education

Two teaching unions in Northern Ireland have voted to accept a pay offer from the Department of Education.

The NASUWT union said 82% of its members had voted in favour of accepting the terms of the 2021 to 24 pay offer, as part of the process for securing resolution of their ongoing dispute with the Department of Education.

The unions INTO and NEU have also backed the move.

The offer will see the starting salary for teachers in the region rise to £30,000, equating to a 24.3% increase and making it equal to England.

The proposal has been described as a cumulative total of 10.4% plus £1,000 being applied to the other teachers’ and leadership pay scales.

Five unions had agreed to suspend strike action and consider the pay offer from Education Minister Paul Givan.

The NASUWT union said will now consider the results of the survey ahead of a teachers’ negotiating committee meeting on 26 March.

“Northern Ireland teachers are long overdue a pay award," said Dr Patrick Roach from NASUWT.

"It is disgraceful that teachers have had to wait for three years to receive a credible pay offer. Nevertheless, the teaching profession deserves real terms pay restoration which must now be a priority.

"Pay is only one of our concerns for Northern Ireland’s hard-working and dedicated teachers.

"The Department and employers must now deliver on the commitments they have made to tackle excessive workload if they do not want action short of strike to be a long term part of the education landscape in schools."

Justin McCamphill from the NASUWT said: “Teachers deserve a decent pay increase and should never have been forced to take to the streets to demand it.

"It is now incumbent on the Minister of Education to prepare for the commencement of negotiations for 2024-25.”

“Restoration of teachers’ pay to where it should be will require above inflation pay awards going forward.

"The new Executive needs to plan for this when they set a budget in the new financial year.

"The NASUWT are rightly proud of our members for fighting for this deal but we remain determined to fight on until pay is restored to 2010 levels in real terms."

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