Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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109. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if additional agreements with teachers in primary and secondary level in order to deal with outstanding issues on equal pay and cuts made in past years have been costed; the figures for meeting such outstanding issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49212/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The Government negotiated a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers.

As a result of these changes, since 1 October 2018 the starting salary of a teacher is now €36,318, and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be €37,692.

Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for Public Expenditure and Reform] shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the cost of and a plan in dealing with pay equalisation for new entrants to the public service.”

The report laid before the Oireachtas on foot of this provision by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform assesses the cost of a further change which would provide a two scale point adjustment to new entrants recruited since 2011. The total cost of such an adjustment across the public sector is of the order of €200 million, of which Education accounts for approximately €83 million.

The report also acknowledges that, during the financial crisis, there were policy changes which affected remuneration in different occupations across the public sector (including education). Additional changes to public service pay in particular sectoral settings did not form part of the costings in the report.

The matter of new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just an issue for the education sector alone. The Government supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.

On Monday 24th September, the Government welcomed the outcome of discussions between public service employers and the public services committee of ICTU in respect of new entrant pay.

This agreement will benefit 16,000 teachers and nearly 5,000 SNAs within the education sector. The deal provides for a series of incremental jumps for new entrants at points 4 and 8 of their scale.

These restorations for new entrants have been achieved through continued engagement and collective bargaining between the Government and the public service unions and shows the benefits that such engagement can bring.

This pay deal for new entrants has been concluded under the Public Service Stability Agreement. Further measures in this area are not being contemplated under the agreement.