This is a summary of the outcome of today’s pay talks between public sector unions and the Government.

Following intensive discussions facilitated by the Labour relations Commission (LRC), public service trade unions have concluded an agreement with the Government today (Friday 29th) which will run until September 2018, and includes a phased restoration of pay during the lifetime of the two-year agreement.

The pay element of the agreement will restore a total of around €2,000 to most public servants over three payment phases between January 2016 and September 2017. The pay restoration will be achieved through a combination of adjustments to the public service pension levy and a partial reversal of the 2010 public service pay cuts.
The agreement (to be known as the Lansdowne Road Agreement) focuses on oversight arrangements, dispute resolution and – importantly from a trade union perspective – outsourcing protections. Under the Agreement the Oversight Body will now be able to rule whether a major work practise change should be carried out under protest before conclusion of the dispute resolution arrangements in the Agreement.
The headline from the deal is the delivery for the first time of flat rate increases in pay which favour the lower paid over higher earners.
Subject to the ratification of the agreement by members of the affiliated unions in the Public Services Committee of the ICTU the phases of pay restoration will occur as follows:

2016
PHASE ONE: 1st January – The pension levy threshold (the salary amount above which the levy is payable) increases to €24,750 (from the current threshold of €15,000).
Annualised salaries up to €24,000 will increase by 2.5% through a partial reversal of the 2010 public service pay cut.
Annualised salaries between €24,001 and €31,000 will increase by 1% via the same mechanism.

PHASE TWO: 1st September – Pension levy threshold increases to €28,750.
The combination of these measures in 2016 will improve all public service full time incomes by around €1,000 per annum

2017
PHASE THREE: 1st September – Annualised salaries up to €65,000 increase by €1,000 per annum.
The CPSU used the opportunity of these talks to advance a number of outstanding issues with the management side, including;
Restoration of 1.5 day flexi carryover
Fast tracked arbitration to deal with compensation for loss of bank time
Resolution of other leave anomalies including a mechanism to restore marriage leave entitlements and the loss of leave by former FAS members in Social Protection
Honouring of appeals decisions in redeployment cases
Further protection for fixed term workers moving to permanent contracts
Agreement that the use of accumulated hours under the HRA can only be voluntary
The Union Executive will review the outcome next week in advance of a ballot of members on the terms of the proposed agreement. Branch information meetings will be held in advance.