Education Minister welcomes progress on teachers’ pay negotiations

A formal offer on teachers’ pay for 2021, 2022 and 2023 has been made to the five main teaching unions.

This offer, which equates to a 24.3% pay rise for beginning teachers, will help both attract and retain the best teachers to our schools.

The proposed settlement will see the starting salary for teachers in Northern Ireland rise to £30,000. This is a 24.3% increase from the current starting salary and brings the starting point equal to England.

The pay offer equates to a cumulative total of 10.4% plus £1000 being applied to the other teachers’ and leadership pay scales.

Education Minister Paul Givan said: 

“I am pleased that there has been significant progress on the issue of the teachers’ pay with a formal offer being made to the teaching unions.

“This offer, which equates to a 24.3% pay rise for beginning teachers, will help both attract and retain the best teachers to our schools.

“It is unacceptable that teachers have been waiting three years for a pay increase. I have made it clear that my highest priority is to ensure that the teaching profession is paid at a rate which recognises the value of their profession.

“This is a positive step in that direction, and I commend the positive negotiations that have taken place within the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee (TNC) which consists of management and the trade unions representing teachers and school leaders.”

The Northern Ireland Teaching Council (NITC) comprises the five main teaching unions - Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), National Education Union (NEU), Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU).

The Minister continued:

“The five trade unions which make up the Northern Ireland Teaching Council (NITC) will now consult with their members on the proposals in advance of any formal acceptance.

“I would urge all teachers and school leaders to consider the formal offer which, if accepted and implemented, will bring an end to all industrial action which has been ongoing since May 2022.

“The ending of the industrial action will create the opportunity to stabilise our education system and allow us to build upon this towards the delivery of world class education in Northern Ireland.”

Notes to editors: 

1. Management Side of TNC comprises representatives of all the education employing authorities, sectoral bodies and Department of Education (Education Authority, CCMS, GBA, CnaG, NICIE and DE).
2. The three year pay offer consists of a consolidated increase of 1% for 2021 (in line with NI Public Sector Pay Policy limits), 5% for 2022 and 4.1% plus £1000 for 2023. The starting salary for teachers will rise to £30,000 from 1 September 2023, representing a 24.3% increase in teachers’ starting salary over the three-year period of this pay offer. This will mean that the starting salary for a teacher in Northern Ireland will equal that of the starting salary in England.
3. Follow us on Twitter @Education_ni(external link opens in a new window / tab)(external link opens in a new window / tab)
4. Media enquiries to the Department of Education Press Office at press.office@education-ni.gov.uk

Share this page