Pay rise for some teachers
Education Minister announces better pay for about a quarter of staff - and plans to cut benefits for parents of truants.
ALMOST 200,000 teachers are to be given a pay rise from the rentrée in September - but unions say the move does not go far enough.
The increase will apply to about a quarter of primary and secondary school teaching staff in France.
New recruits will take home an extra €157 a month, a pay rise of about 10%, or €259 extra per month for those who have studied to Bac+5 level.
Another 170,000 teachers already in work will see their pay increase gradually by up to €660 a month over the next seven years.
The pay rises will cost the French education system about €196 million a year - funded by the ongoing policy of not replacing one in every two school staff when they retire.
Teachers' union SNUipp-FSU said it was disappointed with the move because Nicolas Sarkozy had promised that every teacher would have their pay reassessed.
Education Minister Luc Chatel has also announced more powers to local préfets to cut off certain benefits to parents whose children repeatedly miss school.
He said some parents were not taking their responsibilities seriously enough - and local education authorities had only taken action against a dozen families since 2006.
