The civil service staff panel is seeking changes to the method of calculating overtime so that payments are based on net working hours. IMPACT national secretary Andy Pike said he wanted overtime calculated on the basis of hours worked, as it is in the wider public service. “Civil service overtime is currently based on gross hours, which means the calculation includes rest breaks,” he said.

This means that civil service overtime is calculated on the basis of 1/43rd of weekly pay, rather than the 1/37th rate used elsewhere.

Andy added: “The IMPACT claim, now adopted by the civil service staff panel, seeks to resolve this anomaly and bring civil service overtime payments in-line with the methodology used within the rest of the public service.”