Every public sector worker in the country can look forward to more pay rises next year after Paschal Donohoe announced pay talks are about to reopen.
The great news for the 340,000 gardai, teachers, local authority workers - and TDs among others - was confirmed by the Public Expenditure Minister, Mr Donohoe, in Dublin on Tuesday afternoon.
Industrial relations sources told the Irish Mirror that workers could get pay rises of up to 10 per cent in the next pay deal, that’s what they’ll initially pitch for.
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But it is more likely that the cash pay hikes will be in the region of six to eight per cent again, same as the range for the last pay deal, Building Momentum, which runs out at the end of December.
This would see an ordinary public sector employee on €80,000 a year, Assistant Principal level, pull in up to another €6,400 in salary at the end of the next level of pay negotiations.
Mr Donohoe said: “I believe an opportunity now exists for the parties to intensify efforts to try to agree an appropriate successor agreement to Building Momentum which expires at the end of 2023.
“All parties will have particular issues they want to see addressed and I believe the best way to now work through these issues is with the expert assistance of the Workplace Relations Commission.
“Any agreement has to be appropriate to the context the country is currently facing and must be sustainable in the face of considerable global uncertainty - both economic and geopolitical.”
He added that the upcoming talks would be “challenging.”
Union chiefs reacted warmly to the invitation to talks from the SIPTU conference in Galway.
John King, SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, said: "We have received the Minister's invitation, and the Public Services Committee officers will meet within the next day to give consideration to his request.
"The officers will have to be satisfied that the invitation to talks provides a basis upon which an agreement could possibly be reached.
"Our members value their Public Service Agreement, they want to be covered by a collective agreement, but not at any price.
"They want a return to normalised industrial relations across the public service and pay increases which ensure that the value of their pay is not eroded by inflation.”
He also said that members would want to maintain the protective clauses in the Public Service Agreement against any form of outsourcing and secure clauses around service delivery which "grow and develop public service jobs and employment opportunities."
In addition, King said, SIPTU members would want "a process where they can progress their grade-related issues.”
The union man added: "Over the coming years we will continue to campaign and battle for better and improved public service provision for all our citizens, delivered by directly employed public sector workers on fair pay that recognises their contribution."
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