Teachers and gardaí threaten to reject deal

ALMOST 10,500 frontline gardaí are considering rejecting the new public service pay deal.

And the two second-level teacher unions have expressed disappointment at the lack of certainty around restoring pay equality for new entrants.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has said it is “deeply disappointed” with the fast accruing pension arrangements that have been proposed.

GRA general secretary Pat Ennis warned that it was not “a foregone conclusion” that the proposal would be accepted by its membership. “Our members face daily dangers on behalf of the people of Ireland, and they will now be effectively taxed around €575 each year for the privilege – at a time when all other public servants are having pay restored.

“This proposal will be discussed by our executive at the next scheduled meeting, but it cannot be a foregone conclusion that this will be acceptable to our membership.”

Meanwhile, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) Executive Committee decided to recommend rejection of the deal. Its president Joanne Irwin described the proposed review of two-tier pay scales as “wholly inadequate”.

The draft agreement allows for an examination over a 12-month period in 2018, with application of any outcome no sooner than 2021.

The Association of Secondary Teachers’ Ireland said it was a “major disappointment” that certainty sought regarding the elimination of the differential pay scales during the currency of the proposed agreement had not been achieved. The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) is expected to express a view when a meeting of its executive concludes today.