Teachers across three unions say they will fight to restore pay to those new to the profession.

They are expected to join forces with the gardaí and nurses to negotiate pay with the next government.

Michael McConigley from Kildare is a newly qualified teacher, who is among those fighting for parity in pay.

In 2011, pay scales were cut for new teachers - meaning a potential loss of over €100,000 throughout a career.

INTO General-Secretary Sheila Nunan has promised to lobby the next government on parity.

And Orlaigh Ní Foghlu say they are determined to keep up the pressure on their union.

All three teacher unions are holding their annual conferences this week, where equal pay is top of the agenda.

Delegates at the INTO congress have passed the first motion of the day, on restoring common pay scales to all teachers regardless of when they qualified.

It followed ardent pleas from newly-qualified teachers for parity.

The INTO began its annual think-in in Wexford yesterday, while the ASTI and TUI conferences began in Cork and Kerry today.

The Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) says new teachers are leaving their jobs because they cannot afford to pay rent - with some members earning less that €15,000 a year.

TUI General-Secretary John McGabhann says as a result, some schools are already finding it difficult to find science and language teachers.

He said there have examples of teachers having to give up their jobs "because the jobs simply do not pay enough to allow them pay rent".

And speaking to Newstalk Breakfast ahead of her union's annual conference, ASTI President Máire Ní Chiarba explained that new teachers will earn around €100,000 less over their lifetime than senior colleagues hired before 2011.