ASTI - Ireland's main second level teachers union

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New entrants to teaching have been targeted with a pay cut of 14% instead of the 10% pay cut for new public servants announced in the government Four Year Plan.

ASTI General Secretary Pat King has written to the Department of Education and Skills requesting that the matter be rectified.

“The ASTI strongly objects to the proposed 10% reduction in the pay of new entrants to the public sector. What we find most objectionable, however, is that new teachers – who up to now have been appointed to the third point of the teachers’ salary scale – will be appointed to the first point. This means a pay cut of 14%, and not 10% as previously announced.

“I have no doubt that it was never intended by government or by those who formulated the Four Year Plan that while new entrants to the public service generally would experience a 10% pay cut, new entrant teachers would experience a 14% pay cut. Therefore I am asking that this matter be rectified as a matter of urgency.”

In addition, new teachers who teach abroad before taking up a post in Ireland will no longer have their teaching experience recognised at home. “In other words, a new teacher forced to travel to another EU country or further afield in order to gain experience as a qualified teacher, may suffer extensive loss of salary if they ever decide to return home,” said Mr King. “Basically we are educating our high quality second-level teacher graduates for permanent export.”

Newly qualified teachers also face the proposition of a new pension scheme, which will see them pay more in pension contributions than they will receive in pension benefit.