Hugh Reilly: Teachers must learn to live with pay rise agreed for next year

Published on Tuesday 1 September 2009 19:57

IN 1989, I signed a one-year contract to teach English in a Greek private school.

Four months into the job, it was obvious that my salary could not sustain a reasonable standard of living, thus I asked for a pay review.

The remuneration review board consisted of the school's owner, Yannis, a man who didn't so much watch every penny as place it under 24-hour surveillance.

As a modest Scot, I found it difficult to trumpet my achievements, but the certain knowledge that my wife would ensure I'd be singing in the castrati choir if I failed to win a substantial pay rise helped me to talk up my talents.

In this Dragons' Den, I played it cool by jumping at Yannis's first offer and, in an act of betrayal of my teaching colleagues, agreeing to his condition that no other member of staff should learn of my earnings boost.

If the truth be told, I found the whole process of negotiating one's remuneration package very empowering, but others have not been so lucky.

Take Ashley Cole, the former Arsenal player. In his autobiography, My Defence, Ashley tells movingly of how the Arsenal chairman offered to raise his salary from 25,000 to 55,000 per week, an offer that fell short of the 60,000 he had in mind.

Ashley took the shattering news on his mobile as he was driving his 115,000 Bentley Continental.

"I nearly swerved off the road. I was so incensed. I was trembling with anger. I couldn't believe what I'd heard," said the distraught Mr Cole.

Our capitalist economic system is awash with victims like this. Thank goodness, then, for free collective bargaining.

Last year, council leaders, who, along with the teaching unions and the Scottish Government, make up the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, agreed a three-year pay deal.

At the behest of the employers and the government, there was no provision in the agreement to reopen negotiations. After much spitting in palms – this was pre-Swine flu hysteria – it was handshakes all round.

Under this arrangement, teachers should receive a 2.4 per cent salary increase next April, but, faced with the changed financial circumstances as a consequence of the credit crunch, the Mr Bumbles of the burghs are screaming, "More? You want more?"

It might seem a tad impertinent, but Oliver's army of teachers believe they have a cast-iron basis for councillors to fill their begging bowls.

Council spokespersons appear to think they are starring in an episode of Deal or No Deal.

The reality is, local government negotiators signed a legally binding agreement, and it's their bad luck council budgets are being stretched.

If that sounds callous, it's because I have the nagging feeling that councillors would be drowning in crocodile tears if teachers' salaries had been dramatically eroded by unforeseen rampant inflation.

I'm no Nostradamus, but my best guess is the honourable men and women of our local authorities will cough up. There will be no legal battle – even Donald Findlay would balk at taking on such a hopeless case – but teachers may find themselves under great moral pressure to waive the April pay award.

In a somewhat dramatic move, Cosla is considering a five-year pay freeze that will affect the poorest-paid school workers: janitors, cleaners, dinner ladies and office staff.

Fortunately, I lost my moral compass years ago and will gratefully grab what is rightfully mine.

A salary of 32k is hardly likely to attract WAGs (other than the Wizened And Grey occupying seats in the staffroom) and, in my opinion, classroom teachers deserve every penny for doing one of the most difficult jobs in the country.

A pay rise for teachers? I'll drink to that.