Teachers need a substantial pay settlement from any new pay deal to manage the impact of rising living costs, the president of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) has told delegates at the primary level union's annual congress in Killarney.
Giving the issue pointed importance, Anne Horan began her opening speech to this year's gathering with references to pay and the falling purchasing power of teachers.
She said that the failure of the Government to "keep its side" of the last pay agreement, in failing to restore special allowances for teachers under a local bargaining process was "a massive breach of faith" that had left a sour taste in the mouths of INTO members.
The current pay deal is due to expire in June and talks on a successor are expected to begin in coming weeks.
The INTO congress will run until Wednesday and motions on pay and on the failure to secure the restoration of a range of allowances for teachers will be the subject of debate.
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Allowances for teachers who have additional qualifications or who work in Gaeltacht or island schools were among those cut. The union has been in negotiations to have them restored as part of local bargaining under the current pay deal.
Anne Horan said teachers had expected the issue to have been settled by last September.
The union will debate calls for a ballot for industrial action should the issue not be settled by the end of this month, and for a penalty clause to be included in any future pay deals should the state not uphold "its obligation to INTO members" in this regard.
Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) delegates will begin their gatherings tomorrow in Wexford and Kilkenny, with both events running until Thursday.
Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton is due to address INTO delegates tomorrow morning, before travelling to Wexford for the ASTI convention later that day.
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Ms Naughton is expected to tell primary teachers that she intends over the coming year to focus on three key areas: Teacher professional development, helping teachers and school leaders focus on teaching, and reforms to special education to make the system more inclusive for all.
The minister will also address the issue of teachers who receive an injury in the course of their work.
She will say 200 primary-level teachers were injured at work in 2023 and 2024, and that the Government recognises that this can have a significant impact on teachers.
INTO delegates are due to debate a motion calling for compensation and "fit for purpose" assault leave schemes for teachers who suffer injuries while carrying out their duties.
Both Ms Naughton and Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless will address delegates at the TUI conference in Kilkenny on Wednesday.
That union represents teachers at both post-primary and further and higher education levels.
Former president Michael D Higgins is also due to address INTO delegates in Killarney on Wednesday.
With negotiations on a new national wage agreement due to begin in the coming weeks, teachers' pay is among a number of key issues of concern to teachers this year; as are cost of living pressures, teacher workload, and, at second level, changes to leaving certificate subjects and, in particular, how students are to be assessed.
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