State workers who rejected deal may face increment freeze
FINANCE Minister Paschal Donohoe’s department has refused to say if public servants who have rejected a new pay deal will suffer an increment freeze.
A spokesperson also refused to say if they will get the wage hikes that are due under the deal.
“As per all previous pub- lic service agreements, those groups outside the agreement cannot expect the benefits of the agreement,” said a spokesperson at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
When asked if that means their increments could be cut and they may not get pay rises, he said there was “nothing further to add”.
The three teacher unions have rejected the deal on the grounds that it does not address two-tier pay that exists for recruits during their first few years in the job.
Insiders have revealed that Government officials told garda negotiators that their increments would be frozen from January 1 if they did not sign up to the deal at the talks.
However, sources said unions who rejected the deal expect their members will get all the benefits of it, and will not suffer any sanctions unless they take industrial action.
They said the Government draws a distinction between rejecting the deal and “repudiating” it, which means taking industrial action.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation has said it would participate in the new public service pay agreement, even though 89pc of its membership rejected it. The union said it was not “repudiating” the deal, and would participate in a review of pay equality and a principals’ award being carried out under the deal.
Most public servants get a pay boost worth more than 7pc under the wage agreement that comes into force next year.
It offers pay rises from next year and reductions in the pension levy.