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The nation’s 340,000 civil servants are slated for two 1% pay raises over the course of a new two-year pay deal.
n A general salary increase of 1pc will be paid on October 1 of next year, or € 500, whichever is greater.
The second salary increase of 1pc or € 500 per year, will be paid on October 1, 2022.
There will also be the potential for a 1pc increase through a new negotiation fund to address claims in individual sectors in the public service on February 1, 2022.
The proposed new agreement called Building Momentum: A New Public Sector Agreement will succeed the Public Service Stability agreement, which expires at the end of this month.
Union negotiators outlined key elements of the proposed deal at a meeting of the Public Services Committee of the Irish Trade Union Congress today.
The talks at the Labor Relations Commission ended in the early hours of this morning.
The top four negotiators told the union meeting that Building Momentum: A New Public Sector Deal was a “short-term positive package” negotiated in a difficult context.
In a statement, the committee said the new proposals “would build on the momentum of the recent wage restoration and the flexibility and quality of public service.”
If the union members ratify it in a vote, the agreement will run from January 1 of next year until December 31, 2022.
The public services committee said it was “weighted substantially” toward lower-income public servants.
The new sectoral negotiation fund will be worth 1% of the public sector payment bill, which would be around 180 million euros.
The deal also includes:
- Establish an independent body to make recommendations on the demand of unions to reduce unpaid overtime.
- 150 million euros have been made available to begin the “implementation of the result” during 2022.
- A measure to address the lowest salary rates for “new” teachers. This means that those recruited from January 1, 2011 will move from point 11 to 13 of the salary scale.
- Overtime and premium payments will return to pre-2013 levels.
The proposed deal promises the parties to “maintain the momentum of reform,” including responding to Covid-19, ensuring that schools remain open and managing the response to Brexit.
This includes temporary reassignment of staff and increased turnover in the public service when necessary.
There is a clause in the agreement that commits the parties to labor peace, in line with previous agreements.
Public services committee chair Kevin Callinan said the proposals were the best result that could be achieved during the relatively short life of the proposed agreement.
“This agreement builds on the recent push to improve our public services and the lives of those who depend on and deliver them,” he said.
“Payment terms represent a realistic and acceptable approach to income, and are substantially skewed towards lower earners in a very challenging context of limited resources.
“The ICTU team has also achieved a process to address sectoral issues and a separate mechanism that will make real and substantial progress on the outstanding issues of the Haddington Road agreement, including the introduction of longer working hours that fall primarily on female workers. “
The public services committee will meet early next week to consider the proposals, and each of its member unions will begin consulting members on the package.
The cost of the 2% salary agreement will amount to € 906 million over the three years to 2023.
Reform and Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath said the agreement is affordable and the proposals fair.
He said that for the past ten months “we have all been well aware of the agility and resourcefulness of staff at all levels of the public service to play their essential role in fighting the impact of Covid-19 and collaborating to mitigate the impact has brought “.
He said it is important to recognize the value of the work of public servants during this pandemic.
“I am pleased that we have moved beyond the difficult FEMPI period towards a standardized collective bargaining environment,” he said.
“I believe that these proposals can provide certainty and stability for the Government, the users of public services and public servants in the coming years.”
McGrath said that the lowest paid workers will benefit from a minimum raise of 500 euros on October 1, 2021 and the same amount on October 1, 2022.
He said the sectoral negotiating fund in the deal to address “outstanding” sectoral issues is innovative and positive.
McGrath said he would take the proposals to the government for approval.
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