No rise for gardaí or military
The decision, which affects more than 26,000 individuals, was taken after it was calculated that salaries for these jobs did not fall below what was paid to workers in comparable private sector employment.
In its ruling, the benchmarking body said it “fully recognised the important nature of the work of the different grades and ranks in the security sector” but, taking into consideration the value of their pensions and other factors, no pay increase was to be recommended.
The Garda Representative Association said it was gravely disappointed by the finding, which affects 12,609 officers in five ranks, ranging from garda to chief superintendent, the majority of whom are GRA members.
Association general secretary, PJ Stone, said the entire public service had been “conned” by the benchmarking process.
“This whole charade failed to take into account the increasing dangers our members have to face daily. There is a real increase in the risk of major injury and even death. One of our members was shot on the streets less than three months ago. Others have been stabbed since then,” he said.
The benchmarking body did consider the GRA’s argument that the introduction of the new Garda Reserve created changes that should be acknowledged by way of extra pay but it said the reserve was not in place at the time it evaluated the work of gardaí and so it could not examine the effects of any changes.
“Any such effect would be reflected in any future evaluation exercise,” the report said.
A total of 10,500 full-time soldiers and members of the Air Corps and Naval Service, as well as more than 3,000 prison officers of all ranks, were also refused pay increases. The report said it had considered the fact that there had been changes in the way overtime was worked by prison officers, but said this was recognised in additional pay allowances awarded following arbitration.
Limited increases were recommended in one of nine grades in the local authority sector and one of 10 grades in the wider civil service, but both will benefit a relatively small number of senior officials.
Only workers employed at principal level in the wider civil service receive an increase. They will benefit from a 1.1% pay rise that will increase their salaries from a minimum of €86,332 to €87,282 and from a maximum of €106,785 to €107,960.
The vast majority of non-nursing health sector workers have also been denied increases, which are limited to six out of 31 grades, most of them small groups of senior employees.
The highest increase, of 15%, goes to employees working at principal medical officer level who will now have a top rate of €116,278.
Principal social workers get an 8% increase, to bring their top level of pay to €86,288, and radiography service managers see their pay rise by 9.2% to a top rate of €77,783.
Emergency medical technicians get a 5% increase, bringing their highest rate of pay to €38,777, although the report notes that there are ongoing changes to their duties and upskilling, so a further review may be needed. People with a general manager/functional officer grade also get a 5% rise, taking their top rate of pay to €90,744.
