Lansdowne road agreement: Key points

The Lansdowne Road agreement negotiated in May began the process of reversing pay and pension cuts introduced for staff in the public service since 2008.

Main elements:

• Most public service staff to receive €2,000 in increased earnings in three phases between January 2016 and September 2017. This to come about through a combination of flat-rate adjustments to the public service pension levy and a partial reversal of pay cuts introduced in 2010;
• The €1,000 pay hike scheduled for 2017 will only apply to those earning less than €65,000;
• Public servants earning above €100,000 a year will have cuts imposed under the 2013 Haddington Road agreement restored over three phases, beginning in 2017;
• Most retired public service staff will receive about €1,680 more in their pensions over the next three years as part of a parallel pension restoration initiative.

Under various cuts and emergency measures put in place over recent years, the gross public service pay bill fell from €17.2 billion in 2008 to €14.2 billion in 2013. This was achieved by means of financial emergency legislation and the introduction of a pension levy. The numbers employed in the public service were also reduced by 32,000.