Fórsa’s elected National Executive met earlier this week and decided overwhelmingly to recommend acceptance of the proposed new public service agreement, Building Momentum. The proposals will be put to a ballot of the union’s members early in the New Year.

The proposal is for a two-year agreement, to run from January 2021 to December 2022, with two pay increases, each worth 1% of annual salary, or €500 a year, whichever is the greater. This means the deal is worth substantially more for lower paid workers in percentage terms.

A third increase, worth a further 1%, would be available for grade-based bargaining for all public service grades. This could either be used to deal with issues affecting particular grades, or it could be taken as a straight 1% pay award.

The package also retains existing protections against the privatisation and outsourcing of public services, and it preserves the €100 cap on CORU registration fees for health and social care professionals.

Building Momentum also requires the education department to consult with Fórsa about the possible updating of the SNA contract, including the appropriate use of the contracted 72 hours. This provides the first opportunity to renegotiate the SNA contract for over 15 years.

Haddington Road hours

The deal also addresses the additional hours introduced for many civil and public servants under the 2013 Haddington Road agreement.

This would be done through the establishment of an independent body by the end of March 2021. It would make recommendations to begin the process of returning to pre-Haddington Road hours in 2022, with €150 million set aside to commence implementation. Then there’s provision for a successor agreement to engage on the roll-out of additional recommendations.

Building Momentum also includes certain productivity measures, as is the case in all public service agreements. But union negotiators faced down attempts to introduce open competitions for all posts, a five-over-seven working week, and other unacceptable measures. Like previous deals, it also includes an ‘industrial peace’ clause.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, who led the union negotiating team as chair of the ICTU Public Services Committee, said the outcome represented a positive short-term package, negotiated against a difficult background, to build on the momentum of recent pay restoration and public service flexibility and service quality.

“The proposals are substantially weighted towards lower-income civil and public servants, and they represent solid progress on the three priorities we outlined at the outset of the talks. These were a mechanism to address issues outstanding from the Haddington Road agreement, including additional working time, a separate mechanism to address sectoral issues, and a realistic and acceptable approach to pay.

“This isn’t everything we all wish for. But it includes important advances and vital protections that will not exist in the absence of an agreement, and is the best that could have been achieved at this time,” he said.

Fórsa will be announcing the arrangements for balloting all members covered by the proposed deal in due course. It’s expected that the ballot will take place first thing in 2021. The closing date will be before the 15th February, which is when the ICTU Public Services Committee will accept or reject the package on the basis of aggregated union ballot outcomes.

Covid restrictions on travel and assembly, together with the impending holiday period and increased remote working, led the PSC to agree a longer balloting period than usual.

Get the full details HERE.

Read the full agreement HERE.

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