A planned public sector strike due to take place tomorrow has been suspended, after a deal was agreed between the Government and trade unions over pay.
Talks at the Workplace Relations Commission ended at around 3.30am, after a deal was agreed between all parties involved where a pay increase of 10.75% was promised to be provided over a period of two years and nine months, in a deal which will run to March 2029.
Speaking to reporters outside the WRC, Kevin Callinan, chair of the ICTU'S Public Services Committee and Fórsa General Secretary, said that negotiations were difficult.
"We've made some progress but we are in uncertain times and one of the important things in the agreement is that there is a review clause in the event that inflation was to spike again", he said. "This has been a really difficult process. I think it will take more than a pay offer to rebuild the trust of public servants with the government".
Unions will not ballot their members on the new pay proposals from this deal, and votes will conclude early in the week beginning 7 December
At the end of these talks, the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions then recommended that unions suspend any strike action or any other industrial action, including work to rule actions, allowing unions to consider the document and arrange ballots.
Under this agreement, a pay adjustment of 2% or minimum payment of €1,200 would be provided by 1 September this year. Another pay adjustment of 1% would be provided from 1 April 2027, while another pay adjustment of 1% or a minimum payment of €600 would be provided, whichever is greater.
Another pay adjustment of 1.5% or minimum payment of €900 would be added by November 2027.
By March 2028, another pay adjustment pf 1% is to also be provided, with the next 1% pay adjustment coming on 1 June 2028, or a minimum payment of €600, whichever is greater. Another pay adjustment of 1% was also agreed for 1 October 2028 under this new draft agreement.
By 1 March 2029, a second phase of "local bargaining" of 1% was also agreed. A further 1.25% pay adjustment or a minimum payment of €750 was also agreed, whichever is greater.
It was also confirmed that the final phase of this "local bargaining" would be implemented during the lifetime of the successor agreement to this agreement. Local bargaining allows for pay issues to be addressed, involving specific grades and roles.
The agreement also incudes an increase in the threshold at which lower pay provisions would apply, from €50,000 to €60,000.
The cost of this new agreement totals to €5.2 billion, which will be spread over five budgets.
It was also confirmed that workers on the lowest incomes would receive up to 18.3% over the lifetime of this agreement, including local bargaining provisions.
Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers welcomed this new deal.
"The agreement reinforces the commitment to ongoing reform and modernisation across the public service, supporting innovation, digital transformation and greater flexibility in how services are delivered", he said.
He added that it will "strengthen the public service's ability to meet future challenges, support the delivery of vital infrastructure and national priorities, and deliver high-quality services that provide value for taxpayers". (Quotes according to RTÉ).
