Northern Ireland teachers accept revised 5.5% pay offer | UK News

Teaching unions in Northern Ireland have accepted a revised pay offer of 5.5% for 2024/25.

Teachers had previously rejected the pay offer twice, but unions have now accepted the latest offer.

The Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC), which represents the five teaching unions, said they had agreed to accept the deal from management.

The NITC said “an intervention” by Education Minister Paul Givan on teachers’ workloads had been crucial.

The unions said the latest offer included an independent review to cover all aspects of workload.

Concerns over their increasing workloads had led to many teachers rejecting the previous pay offers.

The unions have told their members that the review into workload had been agreed to by the education minister and would be completed by November.

Their decision to accept the deal will avert possible strike action and lead to action short of strike in schools coming to an end.

The 5.5% pay rise for teachers will be backdated to 1 September 2024.

It is expected to cost Stormont just under £50m in 2024/25 and around £83m in future years.

It will see a relatively new teachers’ pay rise from £30,000 to £31,650 a year, while teachers higher up the pay scale will receive rises of about £2,000 to £2,500 a year.

Members of the NAHT, UTU and NEU unions had accepted the previous offer. but members of the INTO and NASUWT unions had rejected it.

But some teachers who got in touch with News NI were critical of their unions.

Some teachers in the INTO union, who wished to remain anonymous, questioned why they had not been asked to vote on the latest offer.

“We voted for the second time last week and turned down their regurgitated offer, but the minister came back this week with a few more empty promises,” one said.

“We as a union do not believe he will stand by any of it and would like a vote.”

But in a statement the INTO’s northern secretary Mark McTaggart called the 5.5% offer “a further step in the right direction toward ensuring that teachers pay truly reflects the value of teachers and school leaders to our society”.

“The independent review of teachers’ workload is the best vehicle to address the issues around teacher workload to move to a position where teachers will have an acceptable work/life balance,” he said.

UTU general secretary Jacquie White called the deal “a significant first step in the process of delivering tangible change for the teaching profession”,

The NASUWT’s national official Justin McCamphill said teachers “can be assured that we will work together to bring their concerns to the independent review of workload while also ensuring that previous commitments are implemented”.

The national secretary of the NAHT Graham Gault said “Minister Givan’s recent intervention marked an important turning point in this campaign.

“We are grateful for his recognition of the unsustainable workload pressures affecting both teachers and school leaders,” he said.

The regional secretary of the NEU Pauline Buchanan said the unions were committed “to a comprehensive examination of workload, aiming to transform the conditions of school leadership and the wider teaching profession.”

The Education Minister said that the pay increase would take effect for most teachers in May.

“Constructive negotiations have taken place with trade unions and I have listened to their concerns about workload,” Mr Givan said.

“I want to make meaningful progress on the issues to ensure that teachers have the time and space to focus on what matters most – teaching, learning and supporting pupils in the classroom.”