Leo Varadkar: Public sector deal will help low-paid workers in particular

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar: “We want our nurses, our teachers, our gardaí, our doctors, our Defence Forces personnel and local authority workers to be paid better."

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has claimed the new pay agreement for 385,000 public sector workers will particularly benefit those in the low-paid ranks.

He was speaking in Galway after a deal between government officials and union leaders for the workers was reached.

Mr Varadkar said he was particularly pleased that lower paid workers in the public service would benefit more and said that the Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe would furnish the Cabinet with details next week.

“Mr Donohoe briefed me on it this morning. He will bring a memo to Cabinet next week and if the unions decide to ballot their members on the proposed deal, government will honour it. It roughly worked out at 4% this year, 4% next year for public servants and I think it is appropriate as the cost of living has gone up by quite a lot.

“We want our nurses, our teachers, our gardaí, our doctors, our Defence Forces personnel and local authority workers to be paid better and in return there are agreements around reforms and efficiencies which I think are very important.

“What I think is good about the deal is that there are particular measures for low-paid workers in the public service, pay increase in around 16-17% over two-and-a-half years, and that’s important too because they are hard-working people who are being hit hardest by inflation and this, I think, will help," he said.