Talks on new pay deal for 340,000 public servants get green light

The Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions met this morning and decided to accept an invitation on a successor to the current agreement.

It comes after Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said earlier this week that borrowing for the pandemic rules out a major wake hike for state employees.

All public servants got a 2pc pay rise under the current agreement last month.

The Public Service Stability Agreement expires on December 31.

An invitation from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath was issued to unions this morning.

Unions have said that pay improvements are not ruled out over a deal, which usually span three years.

They are also likely to look for the abolition of extra working hours that were introduced during the recession.

Public service pay deals can be reviewed by unions or the government if economic circumstances change.

However, the government did not seek a renegotiation of the 2pc increase paid last month during the pandemic.

Minister McGrath said following talks with his government colleagues, he believes an “opportunity now exists to intensify talks on an appropriate successor to the Public Service Stability Agreement which expires at the end of 2020”.

“These will be difficult discussions against a very challenging backdrop,” he said. “Any agreement has to be appropriate to the context the country is currently facing and must be sustainable in the face of considerable economic uncertainty.”

However, he said there is scope for all parties to engage constructively towards an agreement that benefits everyone. This includes the citizens and businesses who rely on essential public services and the staff who work so hard to provide them, he added.

Talks will begin later this week at the Workplace Relations Commission in line with public health guidelines.