Union fears over funding for teachers’ pay increase
EDUCATION Minister Kirsty Williams’ announcement that she wants to give newly-qualified teachers in Wales a 5% pay rise, and their more experienced colleagues an increase of 2.75%, received a mixed reaction from union leaders yesterday.
Ms Williams’ announcement marks the first year that decisions over teachers’ salaries can be made in Wales – previously they were made at Westminster.
While the 2.75% rise is equivalent to the rise proposed in England by its Education Secretary Damien Hinds, the 5% for new teachers on the lowest pay band is unique to Wales.
In a written statement, Ms Williams said: “I am determined that we continue, and re-double our efforts, to promote teaching as a profession of choice for graduates and career changers. I am therefore proposing to accept the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) recommendation to uplift the minimum pay point on the teachers’ pay scale by 5%.
“I believe this will have a positive effect on ensuring we continue to attract high quality teachers to the profession in Wales alongside our reforms to professional learning, the curriculum and teacher training.
“I am also keenly aware that the pressures on funding for public services arising from the last decade of public spending constraint mean that schools and local authorities will rightly ask how the increase is to be afforded, as well as recognising the value and importance of our teaching workforce.
“The UK Government has not yet provided the Welsh Government with any forward indications for its budget.
“As part of the consultation I am committed to discussing with local government leaders the implications of this proposed way forward.”
Ms Williams’ concerns about whether the increases would be funded by Westminster were shared by teaching unions.
Dilwyn Roberts-Young, UCAC’s general secretary, said “Today is an historic day – the first time that Wales has determined the salaries of its own schoolteachers.
“That is a major, positive step in acknowledging that Wales should take responsibility for its teaching profession.
“UCAC welcomes the recommendations made by the IWPRB.
“If implemented in full, these will reinstate a truly national pay system for schoolteachers, which will provide clarity, consistency and equity across the board.
“We are glad to note that the Minister is “keenly aware” of the pressures on funding that schools and local authorities are facing.
“UCAC, in turn, is keenly aware that the Westminster government is yet to announce to what extent it will
be funding the pay rise for teachers in England, and what the implications of that will be for Wales.
“We urge both governments to fund these pay rises in full. Anything less will represent a further cut to education budgets, which will have an impact on job security and workload, and in turn affect the quality of education, rendering the school system less and less sustainable.”
Rob Williams, director of the head teachers’ union NAHT Cymru said: “We have consistently called for a fully-funded 5% increase for all teachers and leaders. In this announcement while there’s a welcome 5% increase for new teachers, longer serving professionals will get only 2.75%. It is disappointing that the Welsh Government has not seen the importance of a pay award where everyone benefits equally.
“Pay for school staff has to be competitive in the context of the wider labour market, and currently it is not. In contrast to the general trend in other OECD countries, teachers’ statutory salaries in Wales fell in real terms by about 10% between 2005 and 2017.
“The most concerning aspect to this announcement, however, is the uncertainty about funding. School budgets cannot absorb pay awards on top of the recent and ongoing pressures they have faced – pension contribution increases, rising costs of services, inflation costs including energy increases.
“It would be shameful, and somewhat perverse, if Wales’ schools were placed in the invidious position of facing staff redundancies in order to balance the school budget due to an unfunded teachers’ pay award. There’s nothing generous about this announcement, despite what the Welsh Government says.”
Chris Keates, acting general secretary of teachers’ union NASUWT, said: “While recognising that the Review Body was keen to attract graduates into teaching by recommending a 5% increase to the minimum of the main pay range, the retention of teachers is equally important and it is the award and salaries above the minimum also need to be considered in that context.
“While noting that the review body recommended 2.4% overall and the Minister has increased this to 2.75%, neither percentage will make any significant headway into closing the teachers’ pay gap.
“NASUWT has argued consistently that what is needed is a planned, multi-year approach to enable teachers to receive salaries that recognise and reward them as highlyskilled professionals, thus recruiting and retaining teachers.”