Higher civil servants approve Croke Park deal

The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) has voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 agreed between the Government and trade union leaders last March.

Up to 72% of the association’s members voted in the ballot on the Executive Committee’s recommendation to endorse the agreement.

The proposal was carried by 1,936 votes to 330 votes, 85.5% to 14.5%.

The association’s General Secretary, Dave Thomas, welcomed the outcome saying the deal offered the "best hope of ensuring no further cuts in pay for public servants while also providing a mechanism for the reversal of pay cuts over time if the reforms deliver verifiable savings".

Mr Thomas said: "Our members have suffered reductions in pay and pension entitlements of up to 17% in the last 12 months, but they recognised that the alternative to this deal, namely prolonged industrial action in the present economic climate, will not achieve a better outcome.

"Aside from offering no further cuts, the agreement also provides for discussion on the method for determining pension increases for existing public servants in the context of the proposed pay review in the Spring of 2011. Additionally the agreement extends by one year within which January 2010 pay reductions will be disregarded for the purposes of calculating pensions."