Are teacher TDs still drawing teacher salaries?

[anewbeginning]

I saw this on the news, the GP guy at the conference talked about it.

Is this true? I know some teacher TDs have given up their teacher salary, but have they all done it?

If not its another example of politician hypocrisy, drawing two salaries for doing one job and telling us all to pay more taxes and levies.

Any TD that draws a teachers salary should not be voted for at the next GE.

[Gabha Óir]

Indeed they are. Tony Gregory (R.I.P) gave his up last June but I havn't heard of any of the rest of them doing so as of yet. I heard something about Finian Mc Grath giving it up but nothing official.

[The Boy General]

Joe Behan TD (Ex Fianna Fail) now Ind. became a principle of a school in Bray Co. Wicklow just a few months before he was elected as a TD. He is still getting payment now as a teacher as well as a TD. I suppose that payment is based on the principle salary which is totally wrong.

[Pastradamus]

Joe Behan TD (Ex Fianna Fail) now Ind. became a principle of a school in Bray Co. Wicklow just a few months before he was elected as a TD. He is still getting payment now as a teacher as well as a TD. I suppose that payment is based on the principle salary which is totally wrong.

Makes sense. Its Ireland.

[islands]

So they're on paid leave of absence? I had always assumed they were on unpaid leave, which meant they had a job to go back to. i hadn't realised they were actually drawing a salary for a job they weren't doing ... how do the schools fund their replacements?

[islands]

OK - looked this up and it seems from the INTO website here
Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) - into.ie - Other Leave

that teachers either in the Oireachtas or standing for election get paid leave of absence, but they have to repay enough to fund their replacement

You need to scroll down a little on the page linked above, but the relevant bit is

Leave of Absence for Teachers Standing in General Elections
Teachers standing for election in a General Election may be allowed leave of absence, with pay, subject to the following conditions:

• The granting of permission by the school board of management.
• The employment of a substitute at the teacher's expense.
• The absence may date only from the date of the candidate's lodgement of her/his nomination papers. This will be a date between the issue of the writ and the last day for receipt of nominations, nine days later.
• Leave with pay is allowable up to and including polling day, but not for the day(s) of the count. Substitute cover not paid by DES.

Leave of Absence because of membership of An tOireachtas
The following conditions apply to the granting of absence from school duties to a teacher who is elected as a T.D or Senator:

• the teacher will be paid full salary and allowances as a national teacher;
• a fully qualified replacement teacher will be appointed on a temporary basis and paid by the Department, such service will be incremental and pensionable;
• the teacher T.D. or Senator to repay the Department:
  
  • the total of salary and allowances payable to the replacement teacher together with 10% or 11.5% thereof as appropriate superannuation contribution;
  • in the case of a principal teacher or other teacher in receipt of special allowance, to repay also the amount of this allowance which would be paid to the deputy principal teacher or the person appointed to the vacated grade post; and
  • the Employer’s PRSI contribution, currently 2.35% of gross salary

[ivnryn]

Wouldn't it be easier to just have them take an unpaid leave of absence? Why pay them and then have them pay their replacement?

[Gabha Óir]

Or to put it another way they get paid the difference between the money their replacement is paid and the money they would be earning if they were teaching.

So if they should be on 55000 and their replacement is earning 33000 they cream 22000 off the top...

[islands]

yeah, sounds like that.

Especially if they have worked up to a fairly senior grade, and have themselves replaced by very junior people. I also expect that this way of doing it allows them to work up pensionable service, without actually working, which is scandalous

It would definitely be simpler to have them on unpaid leave of absence.

[Gabha Óir]

yeah, sounds like that.

Especially if they have worked up to a fairly senior grade, and have themselves replaced by very junior people. I also expect that this way of doing it allows them to work up pensionable service, without actually working, which is scandalous

It would definitely be simpler to have them on unpaid leave of absence.

They will get a full teacher's pension even if they spend the last twenty years of their teaching career in the Dáil