Striking NI civil servants reject new pay offer

Striking civil servants in Northern Ireland will continue their bitter pay dispute with the British government after turning down a fresh pay offer, their union said today.

Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance general secretary John Corey said the package put forward by Northern Ireland Office minister Barry Gardiner was not good enough.

But the union leader signalled NIPSA was willing to re-enter talks to end the bitter 34-week dispute which has disrupted MOT tests, the payment of benefits and farmers’ grants.

Mr Gardiner confirmed earlier today that staff were being offered an increase of 4.65% over 16 months, with all elements of the package backdated to April 1 this year.

The minister, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy and his Finance and Personnel Minister Ian Pearson, insisted the deal was good for the civil service and he urged workers to consider the package carefully.

He explained: “If our offer is applied as we are proposing, it would mean increases of at least 3% for all staff who are eligible for an increase and performing satisfactorily and at least 4.5% for more than half the staff.

“The proposals would specifically avoid a repetition of the problem that staff at the top of pay scales did not receive a consolidated increase last year.

“The offer shows very clearly that we have been listening to staff, we have tried to find ways to deal with the anomalies of last year’s settlement and so address some of NIPSA’s main concerns.”

Mr Gardiner also appealed to NIPSA to suspend its industrial action to enable fresh talks to take place on the new offer.

“We need to see an end to the disruption of public services and to stop the damage that is being done to Northern Ireland’s reputation and economic competitiveness,” he said.

“The disruption to driver and vehicle testing is affecting small business, planning delays are frustrating for home owners and hurting the economy, and farmers are being hit by unacceptable delays in grant payments.”

NIPSA today insisted their members were not impressed by the offer.

“The truth is that the pay offer made for 2004 year only would give members a 0.25% increase in rates of pay,” Mr Corey countered.

“With no increase for pay for 2003, which caused this dispute, the offer would mean that in three years civil service pay rates would have risen by only a quarter of a per cent.”

On the 16 month deal, Mr Corey said the Government was still trying to make his members bear the cost of any wage rise.

“The increase in rates of pay under the deal of only 1.5% is being funded by members being asked to give up their incremental increases due from April 1, 2005,” he said.

“Neither offer is acceptable and the dispute will continue.

“However the union will be seeking urgent discussions with government officials.”