Skip to content

Stalemate around teacher pay deal 'regrettable'

Jessica Lawrence
BBC News NI
BBC A man with short hair wears circular, black-framed glasses. He is wearing a plaid, dark-coloured suit jacket and a purple collared shirt. He is sitting down in front of a purple-tinged background showing a lake and grass.BBC
Alliance assembly member Nick Mathison is head of Stormont's education committee

It is "very regrettable" progress has not been made in a pay deal for Northern Ireland teachers, the chair of Stormont's education committee has said.

On Thursday, the majority of teachers' unions rejected a 5.5% pay rise and will take action short of strike from Monday.

Unions have said the rejection may have been influenced by misinformation on social media due to language used in the offer which stated that teachers should "commit to a period free from industrial action".

Nick Mathison said the language had to "soften" so that parties could get back around the table.

"It is a mess and it's very regrettable that we've arrived in this position because I think it seems clear everybody was going to be content with pay parity if that was delivered," Mathison told BBC's Sunday Politics programme.

PA Media A man is smiling at the camera while wearing a blue hi-vis vest and holding up a sign saying 'Teachers Matter' along with a graphic showing MLA wages being trickled down to teachers. On his left there is a woman smiling at the camera with her thumb up.PA Media
Most teaching union members voted to reject the 5.5% pay rise earlier this week

Following the pay deal's rejection, the management side of the Teachers' Negotiating Committee - made up of employing authorities, sectoral bodies and the Department of Education (DE) - said it was "extremely disappointing" that unions were still planning industrial action.

It added it could "not accept a position" where teachers were not fulfilling their contractual duties, such as being available to work 195 days in any year, and that many of the actions short of strike would be a "breach" of their contract.

'Get back around the table'

Mathison said that failure to address workloads had been a concern for teachers in the pay offer.

Language surrounding commitments to industrial harmony and restating teachers' contractual obligations, had also been a "massive part" as to why the deal was turned down, the MLA added.

He said the Education Minister Paul Givan should provide an offer which is "cleanly, clearly and simply" put with no strings attached.

"I would urge everybody to get back around the table because from the minister's perspective, he seems to be saying there will be no engagement until the action is called off," he said.

"I think we need to move beyond drawing those hard lines in the sand, get back around the table and resolve this because it's in everybody's interest to do so."

PA Media Paul Givan is pictured from the shoulders up. He has grey hair and is wearing a blue suit jacket and a white collared shirt. The background is blurred and he is mid-speech.PA Media
Education Minister Paul Givan has been urged to get back around the negotiating table with unions

Members of three of the main teaching unions in Northern Ireland voted overwhelmingly for strike action over pay in December 2024.

But last month, four teachers unions - including INTO, the UTU, the NEU and NASUWT - suspended a planned four-week industrial action as negotiations on pay took place.

In December, Education Minister Paul Givan told the assembly that teaching unions had asked for a 13.5% rise in 2024/25, and dubbed the proposal "simply impossible".

How much are teachers paid in Northern Ireland?

According to teaching union NASUWT, the starting annual salary for a classroom teacher in Northern Ireland is £30,000.

The main pay scale rises to just under £40,000 - with the upper pay scale hitting £46,368.

The Teachers' Negotiating Committee said the newest pay offer would mean that salary scales, excluding allowances, would range from £31,650 to £48,919, which would require an additional £83m funding each year.

PA Media A woman holds a young child in one hand and in the other is holding a large sign which reads 'We teach, we care, be fair, give us our share'. She is wearing a hat and a black jacket, and is standing in the middle of a road which has frosty grass patches on both sides.PA Media
The starting wage for NI teachers is £30,000 per year

Teachers in England received a 5.5% pay rise for 2024-25 from the government in September.

In Scotland, fully qualified teachers who have passed their probation start on £40,305.