Threat to public pay report after ruling

A FLOW of legal challenges to the public service pay benchmarking report could follow a significant court decision yesterday.

The news came as the Government, employers and union leaders continued efforts last night to find a formula for a new national wage agreement. The issue is closely linked to the benchmarking process, which reviewed public sector pay for 300,000 state employees.

A college lecturer was granted leave in the High Court to seek a judicial review of part of the report, which was published in June. Numerous public service unions unhappy with its pay increase recommendations are also considering similar and other legal actions.

The case was brought by Dr Patrick Burke, a senior lecturer at St Patrick’s College in Drumcondra and president of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT).

Mr Justice Iarla O’Neill granted him leave to seek a judicial review of the report insofar as it affects IFUT. The body represents 1,500 lecturers, teachers, researchers and other staff in the country’s universities. The benchmarking report recommended increases of between 3% and 11% for lecturing staff in universities.

It could take until at least next summer before the judicial review itself is heard by the High Court.

Peter McLoone, chair of the public service committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said most unions will await the result of ongoing pay talks. “We are currently negotiating the implementation of the pay awards recommended in the benchmarking report, and the outcome will be going out to all unions for their members to decide,” he said. “But if somebody decides to go out on their own and take the legal route, they are quite entitled,” Mr McLoone said.

The national pay talks, which are at a crucial phase, continued last night as union leaders warned there was a risk of a breakdown in negotiations.

A government spokesperson said talks and contacts between the parties were ongoing but there was and no indication of when a breakthrough might be found. Union demands for pay rises above inflation and employers’ calls for a six-month pay pause have proved to be the main sticking point between both sides.

Unions in the private sector will start preparing pay claims at local level if no agreement with employers can be reached by tomorrow. Local bargaining has not been seen since the first in a series of pay deals began in 1987.