Fórsa has called for the resumption of discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPER) to address outstanding issues under local bargaining. 

In correspondence issued this week, deputy general secretary Éamonn Donnelly set out the current position under the local bargaining provisions of the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026 and sought to resume discussions as a matter of priority. 

While acknowledging progress in lodging and settling a number of claims under the first phase of local bargaining (effective from 1st September 2025), he highlighted a range of issues that remain unresolved across the civil service and wider public sector. 

These include claims from grades that have clear pay links to so-called “core” or “marker” grades, where increases have already been agreed. 

Other groups are seeking similar adjustments to those secured by comparable grades, including those represented by the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS). 

In practical terms, this means that where one group has received an increase, related or comparable grades are now seeking to maintain those pay relationships. Where no specific claim has been submitted, Fórsa says equivalent adjustments should still apply, based on these established relativities. 

The correspondence also points to outstanding issues affecting grades included within bargaining units, but excluded from final settlements, which need to be resolved. He also highlighted delays in progressing claims, including those relating to engineer grades. 

Fórsa reiterated that commitments had been given to address these matters within the local bargaining framework. Éamonn emphasised that administrative complexity, including costing challenges or rigid interpretations of bargaining units, must not impede progress. All eligible grades, he said, are entitled to avail of the agreement’s provisions. 

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