A new circular on ‘starting pay on promotion’ will see the end of the practice of civil servants ‘marking time’ on pay scales after winning promotion. The new arrangement will also introduce a more simplified approach to starting pay on promotion across the civil service.

Circular 08/2019 also provides for incremental progression for those who join the civil service from an analogous public service grade.

Fórsa’s civil service division head, Derek Mullen, said a difficult negotiation had seen the simplification and replacement of a circular dating back to the 1970s. “The outcome sees the abolition of marked time for large numbers of civil servants who are standing still on pay scales, and who will now see incremental progression.”

The union wasn’t able to reach similar agreement for staff entering the civil service from non-analogous public services grades. This issue will now be determined at arbitration.