SIPTU to vote on national pay deal

Members of SIPTU, Ireland’s largest trade union, are due to begin voting today on whether to accept the new national pay deal negotiated by the social partners earlier this year.

The deal involves a 5.5% pay increase for all employees in three phases over a period of 18 months.

It also includes an additional 0.5% pay increase for low-paid workers.

SIPTU’s national executive has called on the union’s 200,000 members to endorse the deal.

A "yes" vote by SIPTU members would almost certainly lead to the agreement being ratified at a special ICTU conference in September.