Trade unions have formally ratified acceptance of the new public sector pay deal, with the Public Service Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) to formally notify the government and Workplace Relations Commission today.
The government reached an agreement in August with unions and staff associations that would see the pay of public sector workers increased by 6.5% over the next two years.
The raise will comprise of a 3% increase backdated to February, a further 2% raise next March, and then a 1.5% hike or payment of €750, whichever is greater, from October 2023. The 6.5% raise will be made on top of a 2% already included in the existing public sector pay agreement.
The minimum payment of €750 a year from next October means the package would be worth 8% to a worker earning €25,000 a year and 7% to a person on €37,500 a year.
The ICTU committee met earlier on Friday to consider the results of several ballots of trade union members after Fórsa, SIPTU and ASTI became the latest unions to announce their members had voted in favour of the agreement.
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ICTU president Kevin Callinan said the strong show of support for the pay deal showed that workers recognised that the pay measures would be a helpful support at a time of rampant inflation.
"Unions do expect to be back in negotiations next year to secure pay terms beyond the lifetime of the current agreement, which will expire at the end of 2023, and unions will of course continue to closely monitor living costs and income pressures," Mr Callinan said.
All unions affiliated to ICTU voted in favour of the proposals, with the voting strength of each union determined by the number of members it has in the civil and public service, and the overall result calculated through a weighted aggregate of the outcomes of all the union ballots.
Some 85% of members of the Connect trade union voted in favour of the deal on Thursday, with ASTI (83%), SIPTU (90%), Fórsa (91.3%), and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (97%) also voting heavily in favour of accepting the pay deal.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath welcomed the ratification of the deal, saying the decision would provide "significant benefits" for up to 400,000 public servants and 200,000 public service pensioners.
"It also provides certainty about the continued provision of public services and secures very valuable industrial peace at a time of such uncertainty globally," he added.
Photo: INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha (second left) with Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan (second right), and INTO general secretary John Boyle (left) with John King (right) during public pay negotiations in August. (Pic: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie)
