Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Finalising the outstanding pay claim for tutors is of the utmost priority for me and my Department.

A proposal issued to staff representatives last year to establish a new grade of adult educator, with a standardised pay scale aligned with the Youthreach Resource person scale. This grade will apply to tutors employed in ETBs to deliver further education and training (FET) programmes. This proposal follows the earlier Labour Court recommendation that the official side make an offer on the issue of a pay scale alignment, while accepting that any offer could not, having regard to the contrasting nature of the roles, qualification, flexibility and regulatory frameworks, involve an alignment with the teacher scale.

The implementation of the proposal has been the subject of further negotiations with staff representatives and the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. The award of Building Momentum increases due to those tutors on SOLAS funded programmes who are paid on self-financing rates will also be addressed as part of this process. Officials are engaging on the updated proposal and it is hoped to conclude this matter at the earliest opportunity.

Each of the over 2,800 tutors employed across the ETBs will have the option to avail of the new arrangements and assimilate on to the proposed new adult educator pay scale or remain on his or her existing arrangements.