Eight largest trade unions accept wage deal

EIGHT of the country’s largest trade unions have voted overwhelmingly in favour of accepting the new national wage agreement.

SIPTU, IMPACT, TEEU, IBOA, Mandate, NUJ, CPSU and INO all announced yesterday that their members were in favour of the deal, which sees staff in the public sector receive a 6% pay increase after an 11-month pay pause. Staff in the private sector receive the same percentage after a three-month pay pause. The payments are spaced out over a 21-month timeframe.

The votes mean all the country’s main unions apart from Unite have backed the deal and ensures the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ special delegate conference on Monday will be told to give backing to the agreement.