Weekly pay to public workers rose €30 in a year
The average public sector weekly wage in March 2008 stood at €941 per week, more than €150 a week more than the latest average figure for skilled and unskilled workers in the industrial sector.
According to the CSO report there were 368,300 workers employed in the public sector in March.
That was 6,200 more than 12 months earlier.
The most noticeable increase in staffing levels was in the education sector, where numbers increased by 3,700 to 101,400.
One of the few sectors to experience a decrease in staffing levels was health. The numbers there went down by 100 to 110,300 according to the CSO.
Health service and public sector union IMPACT pointed out that the figures did not reflect the decrease in the number of Health Service Executive employees — estimated at 2,700.
IMPACT said the CSO data showed that average public service weekly pay rose by 3.6% in the year to March 2008 — the same increase as in the year to December 2007.
It said the most recent available CSO figures for other sectors reveal that average public service pay is increasing slower than:
Average industrial earnings (4.4% in the year to December 2007).
Average financial sector earnings (6.3% in the year to December 2007).
Average construction earnings (6.4% in year to March 2008 — provisional figures).
Average earnings in distribution and business services (4% in year to March 2008 — first estimates).
Union spokesman Bernard Harbor said there was a consistent trend showing that increases in average public service earnings were trailing those in the private sector.
“Average public sector pay increases are now consistently and substantially lower than increases in average industrial earnings and are falling even further behind wage movements in sectors like business and finance which have a more comparable mix of qualified, professional and technical staff,” he said.
However, ISME, the small business lobby group, said the figures showed the Government must introduce a pay and recruitment freeze in the public sector in order to control expenditure.
It said unless immediate action was taken the cost of running the public sector would result in significant exchequer deficits, with increased borrowings, taxation or both.
ISME chief executive Mark Fielding said: “Public servants are paid on average €49,000 per annum in comparison to €41,500 in the private sector and well in excess of the average industrial wage, currently €34,000.
“Unless the public sector is brought into line, including the pay element, the rest of the economy will be left to pick up the pieces through increased taxation and higher borrowing.”
However, Mr Harbor said: “As usual, ISME have got it badly wrong. Just a couple of months ago, the OECD published a comprehensive study, which found that the Irish public service was delivering high-quality services and value for money, with fewer public servants than other OECD countries as a proportion of our population and economy.
“It also showed that Irish public spending was below the OECD average as a proportion of both GNP and GDP,” he said.
