Written answers

Thursday, 1 June 2017

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Public Sector Pay

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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133. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which he expects to be able to maintain compliance with the Lansdowne Road Agreement or other pay agreements in the context of FEMPI, having particular regard to the need to reward those affected by the downturn in the economy in the course of the ongoing recovery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26364/17]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Public servants, are widely and correctly recognised as having made a particularly valuable contribution to the State’s economic recovery through reductions in remuneration which facilitated the necessary fiscal consolidation measures required to address the economic crises while providing stability, certainty and industrial peace. Thankfully, we are at a point where we can consider and negotiate on modest improvements to current public service pay and conditions, while also recognising that Government must continue to act prudently regarding the management of the national finances.

The initial Report of the Public Service Pay Commission was published on Tuesday, 9 May 2017. For its initial report the Commission was asked to provide input on how the unwinding of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest legislation should proceed having regard to:

- The evolution of pay trends in the public and private sectors, based on published data;

- A comparison of pay rates for identifiable groups within the public service with prevailing non-public sector market rates;

- International rates and comparisons where possible; and

- The state of the national finances.

The Commission was also asked to give consideration to other conditions of service of public servants, including tenure and pension, as well as recruitment and retention trends in the public service.

The findings of the Commission are contributing to and informing considerations in relation to Public Service remuneration by Public Service employers and staff interests in negotiations on an extension to the Lansdowne Road Agreement. These negotiations are currently underway and are being facilitated by the Workplace Relations Commission.  

The purpose of these discussions is to seek agreement with staff interests on an extension to the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA).  The discussions will also seek to secure and to provide a fair, balanced and sustainable response to the expectations of public servants in the area of pay on the one hand and an economy which is subject to ongoing financial constraints and a number of emerging international risks and challenges, not least of which is Brexit.

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