Bmda: Teachers pay raised, what about performance?

Teachers voted unanimously last night to accept large pay increases which will see a novice teacher add nearly $20,000 to their salary after four years in the job.

It ends labour unrest which saw two days of shut schools as well as a work to rule.
The agreement also achieves the Bermuda Union of Teachers’ goal of reaching pay parity with civil servants – but only at the upper level.

General Secretary Mike Charles (pictured) said: “Teachers seem to be quite upbeat about these proposals today.

“We were able to sell it to them.”

Overall teachers get a 3.4 percent rise from September this year and 3.0 percent from September, 2005.

But a grading jump will see the rise worth much more to teachers who stick in the profession.

An inexperienced teacher joining before the award would have started on $51,000 but that will increase to $55,500 in the next year, then jump to more than 59,339 before hitting $69,448 as the grading jump kicks in.

Mr. Charles said he hoped it would keep teachers in the profession. “It will go some way to recognising what teachers do and hopefully keep them there in the job.”