Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The approach we have taken is to sit down with all of the trade unions, particularly those within the Lansdowne Road agreement, and to work on the issues their members present. Just as under Lansdowne Road, the issue of new entrant pay was presented, and I believe we have responded very fairly to it and, as I said, we have met three quarters of the gap. I have no doubt that, when the next process starts, new entrant pay will be again on the table. It will not be just for teachers, but for the whole public service. We will again sit down and negotiate with people as to how that can be integrated with other demands that will be coming from other unions and with the other pressures we have to meet from the available money.

One of the elements of what we have done is that, further up the scale, we have integrated the scales so that, at a certain point, teachers will be on the same scale. That has been one of the elements of the work we have already done in closing this gap.

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