John Patrick Clayton, of the Unison trade union, said the “devil is in the detail around things like this”.
“We’re going to need to see precisely what that translates into, whether that can actually match the expectation that is there from our members that the bare minimum that they’re entitled to is pay parity,” Mr Clayton said.
“So will this actually lead to us achieving pay parity? That’s what we’re going to need to interrogate much further with the minister and with officials.”
Justin McCamphill, national official with the NASUWT union, has welcomed the extra £37m being made available towards pay for teachers.
“This news is welcome. Of course we don’t know what the full impact of that’s going to be on the teachers’ pay negotiations but it’s welcome that the executive are prioritising pay,” Mr McCamphill said.
“We are delighted for our colleagues in health who have waited even longer than teachers, that they’re seeing some light at the end of their tunnel and we hope that we’ll be in a position soon where teachers will be able to have a decent pay offer.”
Mr McCamphill said the union’s next step is to get back into a room with employers and the Department of Education to “see if we can reach a pay settlement that teachers in Northern Ireland will find satisfactory”.
The RCN had called on the Northern Ireland Executive to act immediately and to avoid plunging the health service into further disruption.