‘Down payment’ welcomed, but unions warn of bigger pay battle

Public service trade unions have welcomed the €38.33 fortnightly “down payment” for their members as a result of the Government’s decision to bring forward pay increases from April, but have warned that much more will be expected in a new deal later this year.

The trade union reaction to the deal, which is in light of payments secured by gardaí last November, was one of acceptance, while being far from exuberant. One union source said “no one is exactly doing high-fives around the place”, while Tom Geraghty, general secretary of the Public Service Executive Union (PSEU), described it as a “down payment”.

The meeting of the Public Services Committee of ICTU to discuss the terms was short, given there is a general acceptance of the terms and the realisation that union leaders are focused on what is universally expected to be the more difficult job of trying to formulate a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.