Minister responds to lecturers' pay decision

Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey today expressed concern at the outright rejection of the pay offer made by Further Education (FE) Colleges to the FE lecturers' unions.

The Minister said: "I share the lecturers' disappointment that normal collective bargaining has been frustrated, at least for the time being. It is a frustration which I know is also felt by the College employers who want and need an end to this damaging and demoralising dispute.

“As I made clear when this matter was debated in the Assembly last June, we are all persuaded of the arguments in favour of pay parity between FE lecturers and school teachers. However, we are also caught by the restrictions imposed by public sector pay policy. All of us in the Executive acknowledge the inequities that can result from the application of any pay policy but, with reluctance, we have concluded that Northern Ireland simply cannot opt out of taking the difficult measures that apply in every other part of the UK.

“The FE lecturers have won the argument. Pay parity has the support of my Department, but its introduction cannot occur until there is some easement in public sector pay policy. In the meantime, I would ask the lecturers' unions and the College employers to re-double their efforts to find a way through this impasse on the understanding that we will return to the issue of pay parity as soon as circumstances allow."

Notes to Editors:

1. The Minister has met with the College employers and Unions previously and has confirmed his support for the principle of pay parity between school teachers and FE lecturers in Northern Ireland, which is a key union demand.
2. In June, the Assembly debated this issue and unanimously agreed that College Lecturers should have pay parity with teachers. Sir Reg Empey confirmed his Department's support for this during the debate.
3. Pay parity cannot be offered without breaching the Treasury limits laid down under pay policy. This policy applies to a wide range of public sector employees throughout the UK and was introduced in 2004 to safeguard economic growth through the control of public expenditure.
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