The primary teachers' union is considering proposals for a special city allowance to help offset soaring house prices in urban centres.
The executive of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) is considering the proposal, which could lead to teachers in Dublin, Cork, Galway and other cities gaining an extra allowance of up to 10 per cent of their salaries.
But with the union's 20,000 members split evenly between urban and rural areas, the executive has still to agree on the proposal.
The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) is seeking a 34 per cent pay increase from the Government, in addition to the 17 per cent already agreed under the national pay deal.
The union will shortly submit the claim to the Government's new benchmarking pay review body.
It also wants the teachers' pay scale shortened. But it has no plans to seek an urban allowance for its 17,000 members.
The INTO proposal follows last year's decision by Ulster Bank to pay employees working within a 15-mile radius of Dublin an extra £2,000 a year. In the public service, the Irish Nurses' Organisation is seeking a Dublin weighting allowance, and the Civil and Public Services Union (CPSU) is also pursuing the issue.
The INTO executive is due to consider the latest proposal again on Thursday as it finalises a package of measures as part of its submission to the Government's benchmarking body.
The union is demanding minimum salaries of £20,000 for young teachers and £40,000 for teachers at the top of their scale.
Pressure for some kind of city allowance has been building up among city members for several months.
According to recent Department of the Environment figures, new houses in Dublin now average more than £177,000 while the average outside Dublin is £131,000.
Many city-based teachers want to see the INTO press for a London-type weighting allowance to compensate members for the higher cost of living in urban areas. But other executive members say a city allowance would make it even more difficult for many rural schools to attract staff.
The primary teaching sector is experiencing its worst staff crisis. More than 1,000 unqualified teachers are working in primary schools.
This week's INTO executive meeting will also consider a proposal for a disadvantage allowance for the 10 per cent of primary teachers working in deprived areas.