TUI conference: The TUI congress heard repeated criticism of the benchmarking process yesterday, with teachers urging the rejection of any proposals that would link pay with greater productivity.
There was a short-lived attempt at the conference to ballot teachers on whether benchmarking was the best way of determining pay, but the motion was referred instead to the TUI executive by a narrow majority.
TUI general secretary Jim Dorney said benchmarking had been good for teachers and it would be "absolutely crazy" to stay outside the negotiations instead of taking part in them and then voting on the outcome. "Do not fall into the same trap as the Asti fell into by staying outside," he warned.
TUI president Paddy Healy said it was wrong that teachers were compared with employees in benchmarking when the main competitors with teaching for high-quality entrants were the self-employed professions. He called for a greater emphasis on the benchmarking clause that pay awards should encourage the recruitment of highly qualified and motivated staff.
Mr Healy said benchmarking comparisons with other employees should exclude teachers' pensions and permanency rights, as these were "bedrocks of an effective teaching profession".
And he strongly rejected any suggestion that teachers' pay should be linked to performance-related issues.
"Performance-related pay would totally undermine the collegiate ethos of teaching and lecturing," he said.
The union should "vigorously fight its corner" and seek the support of other unions on this issue.