Public service unions have accepted the invitation by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, into talks about unwinding the emergency legislation (Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act - FEMPI) used to cut public service pay during the economic crisis, and talks are set to get underway today (Tuesday 12th May).

The talks announcement was included in theSpring Economic Statement in April, which outlined the current budgetary position and the scope for public spending and tax reductions in the October budget.

Changes to the public service travel and subsistence rates will take effect from July. The changes were introduced following a review established under the terms of the Haddington Road agreement. The review was conducted by the Civil Service Staff Panel and the sub-group of the General Council.

A study by the CSO into the public/private sector pay differential for 2009 and 2010 shows that the premium for public sector pay, reported as 11.9% in 2009, decreased to 1.3% in 2010 after a full year application of the public service pension levy and additional pay cuts introduced in December 2009.

Quarterly CSO figures on earnings are based on gross pay and do not take account of the effect of the pension levy. This study provides, for the first time, a comparative analysis that takes account of the effect of the pension levy on pay.