Bid to rescue €34m equal pay deal for civil servants from costly court wrangle

EFFORTS are under way to rescue a €34 million equal pay settlement for civil servants before it turns into a High Court wrangle that could cost the State five times as much.

The deal was struck last May between the Department of Finance and the Civil and Public Service Union (CPSU) to avoid a massive compensation claim by the union on behalf of female members who suffered pay discrimination.

But disputes over the details of the deal have delayed its implementation and it is now running out of time.