Civil servants are due a 1% pay increase with effect from 1^st February 2022. The money is expected to appear on pay slips soon, after the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) sanctioned the increase last week.

It’s the latest instalment of the Building Momentum public service deal, negotiated by Fórsa. Last month we reported that the independent body, also established under the agreement, has recommended that working time be restored to pre-austerity levels for virtually all public servants from 1^st July 2022. 

The 1% February payment comes from the agreement’s ‘sectoral bargaining fund.’ It gave individual groups, grades and categories of civil servants the choice of a straight 1% increase or the option to use the allocation to deal with outstanding claims.

Fórsa’s National Executive decided to opt for a straight 1% pay round after consultation across the with the five Fórsa divisions that include clerical and executive staff. The decision was also informed by a large-sample opinion survey of members in the grades, in which over 90% opted for the 1% option.

Building Momentum also includes two general round increases, each worth 1% or €500 a year, whichever is the greater. One was paid on 1^st October 2021, and the other is due on 1^st October 2022.