The revaluations will be granted in particular thanks to the doubling of two bonuses. This will have consequences on the maintenance of the purchasing power of teachers over time and on the amount of their retirement.
A blur for several days. The President of the Republic announced, Thursday, April 20 in the Hérault, an increase, from the start of the school year in September, in the remuneration of teachers. These will benefit from a “unconditional rise” remuneration of 100 to 230 euros net monthly, “at all career levels”. The increase in income could reach “up to 500 euros per month” for volunteers who will accept new assignments, ranging from short-term replacements to participation in the “homework done” scheme.
The Minister of Education, Pap Ndiaye, boasted on Friday April 21 on Twitter this “revaluation of wages, for all”. The Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, for her part mentioned on Wednesday, during the presentation of her “100 days” roadmap, “a historic increase in remuneration” teachers. But what kind of compensation are we talking about? Base salary or bonuses? Behind this seemingly trivial difference lie very real consequences for teachers.
If they are delighted with the increases announced by the executive, the teachers’ unions have nevertheless expressed their disappointment on several levels. These increases do not compensate for the loss of purchasing power linked to the long freeze in the index point of civil servants. And Emmanuel Macron’s promise to increase remuneration by 10% for all teachers is not kept. In addition, the “pact” offered to teachers conditions part of these upgrades to additional missions which many do not want.
No base salary, but bonuses and allowances
Another point has “reacts”assures Sophie Vénétitay, general secretary of Snes-FSU, the first secondary school union. “These are compensation measures in the form of bonuses” and not an increase in base salary, underlines the union official.
In detail, Emmanuel Macron’s announcements will materialize in particular by the doubling of two bonuses: the student monitoring and support allowance (Isae) in the first degree and the student monitoring and guidance allowance. (Isoe) in the second degree. Added to this is a revaluation of the attractiveness bonus for the first 15 years of career.
The additional missions of teachers, on a voluntary basis, open the right to an additional increase of 1,250 euros gross annually per mission. Again, this remuneration will be paid in the form of shares of Isae or Isoe, details the Ministry of Education. Clearly, the increases promised by the government concern allowances or bonuses and not the index salary of teachers (which is equivalent to the basic salary in the private sector).
Consequences on purchasing power and retirement
However, this difference has “two big flaws”, according to Stéphane Crochet, secretary general of SE-Unsa. Unlike the index salary, bonuses and allowances are not indexed to the index point of civil servants. “When this is revalued to take account of inflation [comme en juillet 2022]the amount of premiums and indemnities is not affected”notes the union official. “Without touching the index point, (…) a stall in the face of inflation in the years to come is always possible.”
In addition, only the index salary of the last six months is used to calculate the amount of the basic retirement pension for teachers, adds Stéphane Crochet. Bonuses and allowances nevertheless give rise, up to a certain amount, to rights under the supplementary pension for civil servants, the Additional Civil Service Retirement (RAFP). But the contribution rate on this form of remuneration is “very weak”, recalls Sophie Vénétitay: up to 5% on these bonuses, against more than 11% on the index salary. The open rights are therefore also low. “Someone who retires today receives a maximum of one hundred euros per month” linked to the bonuses and allowances received throughout his career, thus observed in September 2021, in ReleaseBenoît Teste, Secretary General of the FSU.
Facilitate career development
A single measure announced by Emmanuel Macron could improve the retirement pension of teachers: the easier transition to the “hors-classe” and the “exceptional class”, two grades accessible from, respectively, 20 and 25 years of career and better remunerated (up to 3,232 and 3,497 euros net monthly for the index salary, in September 2022).
The rate of promotion to hors-classe “will be increased by five points for all teaching staff”, promised the ministry. While the transition to the exceptional class should concern “3,000 additional promotions” per year. “The challenge is to open wide [ces grades] so that a large number of professors are there and that these grades constitute a real career outlet”notes Sophie Vénétitay, who is expecting a “concretization” of this announcement.