Unions negotiate new public sector agreement and achieve breakthrough in pay dispute

Ireland

Public service trade unions have negotiated a new two-year agreement which will now be considered by each union’s national executive and put out to ballot of all individual members. The national executive of the Fórsa trade union has already decided to recommend the agreement to its members. The two-year agreement will run from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2022 and there will be a general pay increase of 1% or EUR 500, whichever is higher, in October of both years. In February 2022, an additional 1% will be available in sector bargaining funds. The agreement also provides for progress in addressing issues that have arisen in earlier collective agreements, for example, around the increase in working hours introduced as part of austerity measures following the last crisis. The agreement also retains the important safeguard regulating any proposal to outsource services. Meanwhile unions have also achieved a breakthrough in a pay dispute covering non-profit (Section 39) organisations in health and social care which will involve a EUR 1000 payment in January and a further payment in June as part of a pay restoration process.

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