Public sector unions start move towards ballots on pay deal

One of the largest public sector unions has formally announced a ballot on the proposed public sector pay deal reached last Friday and recommended that its members vote in favour.

Fórsa, which has 85,000 members, most of them public sector employees, will open its ballot on the agreement, which provides for pay increases of 10.25 per cent over 2½ years, on February 19th. It expects to conclude the vote on March 15th.

The union’s general secretary, Kevin Callinan, who led the union-side negotiating team in his role as chair of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Public Services Committee (PSC), briefed members on Tuesday after a meeting of its national executive which, he said, had decided to endorse the proposed deal on the basis that it was the best that could be achieved at the present time.

Siptu’s national executive will meet on Wednesday morning to consider the proposal with another prominent member of the negotiating team, the union’s deputy general secretary, John King, expected to brief senior officials on the provisions of the deal.

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Mr King said on Tuesday that it remains to be seen how the NEC will view the proposed arrangement, but “they are likely to give serious consideration to the fact that the officers of the PSC felt it was the best that could be obtained in the process”.

The executive will decide whether to proceed to a ballot, and if it will recommend acceptance by its roughly 60,000 public sector members. It seems likely to do both.

In all, 19 unions are expected to ballot their members on the document which provides for increases of up to 17 per cent for the least well-paid staff in the civil and public service.

A number of other largest unions have also commenced the process of considering their positions, with the Teachers’ Union of Ireland confirming it will proceed to a ballot and that its executive will further consider the document before that begins. The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation has said it will hold briefings ahead of a ballot.

A simple majority in each individual ballot has the effect of casting all of that union’s votes, the number of which is linked to its public sector membership, one way or the other in the overall poll.

In effect, a handful of the largest unions could carry or defeat the deal, but the hope among the unions would be that there is a clear outcome in terms of a majority of unions and membership.

Around 385,000 employees will be impacted by the result of the process which is set to be announced on March 25th. Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe last week put the value of the deal at €3.6 billion over four Budget years.

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