Education Minister Declares Teacher Pay Rise Request “Simply Impossible”

Granting teachers in Northern Ireland the pay increase requested by unions is “simply impossible,” according to the education minister. Paul Givan informed assembly members that teaching unions had sought a 13.5% salary increase for the 2024-25 period. Givan also communicated to the assembly that education authorities had formally requested that the unions’ ongoing strike ballots “to be stood down.” However, the NASUWT, identified as one of the largest unions, informed BBC News NI that it would “not be withdrawing our ballot.” Unions representing the majority of teachers in Northern Ireland are currently balloting their members regarding potential industrial action. Despite the fact that the 2024-25 financial year is more than halfway complete, a pay agreement for teachers in Northern Ireland has not yet been reached. Teachers in England received a 5.5% pay rise for 2024-25 from the government in September. This increase was funded by an additional £1.2bn from the UK government. Health unions have also indicated the potential for strikes concerning pay, and similar disputes might extend to encompass the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Responding to a query from Alliance assembly member Danny Donnelly, Givan stated that the pay claim from Northern Ireland unions was “substantially higher” than the 5.5% increase awarded to teachers in England. He remarked, “In line with the requirements of public sector pay policy, any proposals for a teachers pay award must be affordable.” He added, “This is proving difficult to resolve given the pressures that are already faced within the education budget.” When subsequently questioned by his Democratic Unionist Party colleague Diane Dodds, Givan indicated that the department faced a £20m shortfall even to fund a 5.5% increase. He stated, “The teacher’s pay claim is not for 5.5%, it’s for 13.5%.” He continued, “It is simply impossible if members believe that this department can deliver a 13.5% pay rise this year.” He affirmed, “That is not achievable.” He concluded, “I am engaging in good faith with the unions to try and get a successful resolution to this issue.” In response to the education minister’s remarks, Justin McCamphill, NASUWT national official, commented: “Teachers in Northern Ireland are not prepared to be the lowest-paid teachers in these islands.” He added, “The minister needs to secure enough money so that an acceptable pay offer can be made to teachers in order to avert industrial action.” McCamphill further stated, “The NASUWT will not be withdrawing our ballot until such time as an acceptable offer is made and accepted by our members.” However, Givan also informed MLAs that “hundreds of millions” of pounds were additionally required for the construction and upkeep of school buildings. The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) recently reported that schools were “deteriorating” and a considerable number required “significant repair.” The minister stated, “I can only do so much with the budget that is made available to me.” He explained, “There has not been the funding over many years to go into the school estate.” He noted, “There is a backlog of hundreds of millions of pounds.” He detailed, “There is a programme of works between new builds, school enhancements, and what we need for special education over the next ten years that comes over, in the region of, about £3bn.” He concluded, “If we’re serious about our school estate, we need to be serious when it comes to the allocation of funding to the Department of Education.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.