Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Public service pay has been governed by a system of collective agreements since the Croke Park agreement was negotiated in 2010. These collective agreements have helped to ensure that public pay is managed in a sustainable, affordable and orderly manner. These agreements have also enabled significant reform of public services and changes to work practices. The current public service agreement is Building Momentum - A New Public Service Agreement 2021-2022. It is weighted towards those on lower incomes, with headline increases of approximately 5% for the lowest-paid public servants.

These groups will also benefit more from other measures in the agreement, including the overtime rates and premia payment adjustments that are provided for. The agreement provides a general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, on October 2021, which has been implemented; the equivalent of a 1% increase in annualised basic salaries to be used as a sectoral bargaining fund in accordance with chapter 2 of the agreement, which will take place on 1 February 2022; and a general round increase in annualised basic salaries for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, which will benefit those on lower incomes the most, on 1 October this year.

The Government is determined to ensure the current pay agreement is honoured in full. In this regard, an independent body was established to examine the additional hours worked by public servants under the Haddington Road agreement. We have just been discussing that issue. The recommendations of the body have now been submitted to my Department and I anticipate that the full report will be submitted at the end of this month.

As the Deputy will be aware, Building Momentum is a two-year agreement which is due to expire at the end of the current year. Government and public service staff representatives will be due to enter into discussions on the potential for a successor agreement later this year. I expect that the issues to which the Deputy has rightly referred will very much feature and be considered in those discussions.

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