ICTU backs hike deal despite dissent

THE NEW national pay deal cleared its final hurdle yesterday as the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) voted by a clear majority to accept the 5.5% wage rise on offer.

Although the deal was passed easily by 267 votes to 110, several significant unions - including the Irish Bank Officials Association (IBOA), Mandate, the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) - voiced strong disapproval of the new deal.

INO general secretary Liam Doran said his members were particularly disappointed that the package agreed did not guarantee enough healthcare investment. “We believe that trade union members, as workers and patients, deserve better and we are calling upon Congress to look again at these current proposals,” he said.