Ictu to hold conference on pay deal in November

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) is to hold a special delegates conference on November 17th to determine whether to accept a new national pay deal.

At its meeting today, executives of Ictu discussed the logistics of deciding its its position, but did not make any recommendations on the issue.

Over the next few weeks, individual unions will decide their stance on the new national pay deal.

The Government and social partners reached an outline agreement on the pay deal earlier this month, proposing a 6 per cent pay rise over 21 months with a final 1/2 per cent rise for lower paid workers at the end of that period.

Public service union Impact yesterday urged its 60,000 members to accept the proposed national pay deal.

Impact general secretary Peter McLoone said the proposed wage agreement deal would help stabilise the economy and protect incomes in a difficult economic period

Unite, the country's second largest union is to recommend to its members that they should reject the terms of the new draft national pay deal in a forthcoming ballot.

The union's executive committee met yesterday and decided that the deal effectively represented a pay cut for members. The union is to hold a consultative conference on October 10th, and will later carry out a ballot of members on the deal.

The Construction Industry Federation said earlier this week that it would be unable to pay wage increases to its 200,000 staff. Citing the collapse in the housing market, CIF is to vote on the issue on October 21st.

A delegation from the CIF including president Hank Fogarty and director general Tom Parlon will meet Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan on Monday.