I am calling on the Government to commit to the principle of pay equality for new teachers and Gardaí and set out a clear road map with the unions on the way forward.
Teachers and Gardaí have very legitimate issues to be addressed with regards to their pay and conditions for new entrants.”
“Their concerns are justifiably shared throughout the public sector, following seven years of pay cuts. The teaching profession is particularly impacted because of the large number of new recruits had to be employed over the last ten years because of demographic pressures. Job security for young teachers is also an issue that needs to be addressed as some are trapped on part time hours in temporary positions for years.”
“What’s required here is a timely unwinding of the emergency pay cuts and wages and for a clear timetable for pay restoration in particular for those who have entered the profession post 2011.”
“Sinn Féin knows that can’t be achieved overnight, but clearly it can be time-lined through a new pay agreement that offers a roadmap to full pay restoration. Instead of providing a road map the Government are heading down a cul-de-sac. The demands of teachers are not insurmountable. The restoration of allowances for all post-2011 entrants would go a long way to satisfying their concerns.”
“Crucially the issue of pay equality – equal reward for equal effort – for post-2011 teachers and Garda entrants needs to be put in place before the scheduled end of the Lansdowne Road Agreement. The current stance that such a measure can only begin in two years’ time is just not feasible.”
“Sinn Féin calls on the government to commit to the principle of pay equality here and now, to address the issue of allowances as outlined in Sinn Féin’s alternative budget, and to set out a road-map to the eventual re-establishment of a single-tier pay system in the public sector.”
