"Teachers in England and Wales will get pay rises above the 2% inflation target set by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The three-year pay deal will mean increases of 2.45% in September 2008 and 2.3% in each of the following two years, says Schools Secretary Ed Balls."
So is it an above expected rise, or a paycut?
It looks good when compared to other public workers (take the nurses at 1.9%, and the police at 1.9% effective too), but when you look at the retail price index of 4.3% the rise still leaves us 2% below that - in effect cutting salaries. Of course, the government doesn't work on the RPI, but uses the consumer price index (this excludes mortages / rents) and claims that, with the CPI being 2.1%, it's a pay rise we're getting.
You decide who you want to believe.
