Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Offers included measures to immediately address pay divergences with NAS, an immediate pay increase for all NAS employees, and an independent assessment to establish the grades within CIS to which the NAS staff would be benchmarked. Significantly, the immediate pay increase for staff went beyond the Labour Court's recommendations, which was limited, as the Senator has said earlier, to four grades of NAS. Offers were also made whereby relevant NAS employes in the four grades covered by the Labour Court recommendation would receive the majority of the increased pay they sought immediately, based on SIPTU's submission regarding which grades are comparable, with any balance to be paid once the independent assessment of grade comparability was completed. I understand SIPTU has rejected this and all other offers on the basis of balance of the increased pay being contingent on the outcome of an independent process. This is regrettable as it is important that any pay agreement using Exchequer funds is based on the principle that employees who undertake demonstrable comparable work receive comparable pay.No industrial relations dispute is ever solved in isolation or without compromise on all sides. I strongly urge all parties to return to talks to reach agreement and reduce any unnecessary impacts on NAS's service users who, as the Senator has pointed out, are suffering as a result. The focus of all parties should be on the people using these critical services and working to minimise any impact on them by reaching an agreement. CIB and the Department of Social Protection remain available to assist in reaching an agreement to this dispute should SIPTU with to re-engage in talks.