Fórsa pushes for local bargaining negotiations to begin by Hannah Deasy
On Monday 19th May deputy general secretary and head of the civil service division Éamonn Donnelly wrote to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform urging them to set a date for formal discussions on local bargaining to begin.
In the letter, Éamonn refers to the timelines outlined in the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, which state that pay increases achieved through local bargaining should start to be implemented by 1st September 2025.
Fórsa has now submitted three core claims related to civil service grades, which cover Clerical Officers, Executive Officers, Higher Executive Officers, Administrative Officers, and Engineer Grades 1, 2 and 3. These claims are also cross-sectoral, given they encompass a range of equivalent and related grades across the public sector. This will be reflected in representation in formal discussions.
Speaking about the letter, Éamonn said: “It’s been quite some time now since we submitted these claims and it’s essential that we begin formal discussion soon. Thousands of our members are impacted by these claims, and it isn’t fair to leave them in the dark. This process was part of the Public Service Agreement negotiated last year, and it must be honoured.”
The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) has now also submitted two claims on behalf of its members at assistant principal and principal officer grades.
Underlining the need to move the process forwards, Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said: “This new form of national bargaining has the ability to address specific challenges and pay issues related to grades, groups and categories. We got it included in the agreement because we knew members needed a mechanism to address issues that have built up over time.”
“Time is now moving on, and even though we submitted our first claim over six months ago we still haven’t heard anything tangible back from the Department.”
If you’re still wondering what local bargaining all about you is can watch our new video explainer here.
Read more about the claims submitted to date in these articles:
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