THE UNION representing lower paid civil servants is to recommend to its members that they reject the proposed new national pay deal in a forthcoming ballot.
At a meeting yesterday, the executive of the Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU) made the decision by a single vote.
The general secretary of the union, Blair Horan, had sought that it should send the issue out to ballot without a recommendation. However, the executive did not agree with this proposal.
It is understood that the executive was concerned that the pay deal, which involves increases of 6 per cent phased over 21 months - with an additional 0.5 per cent for the low paid - would not be sufficient to match the rate of inflation.
The CPSU executive was also concerned at the 11-month pay pause for staff in the public service contained in the deal.
The executive is also unhappy at the linkage between payment of general pay increases and the implementation of Government modernisation plans in the public service.
It is understood that under CPSU rules if members reject the proposed deal while overall the Irish Congress of Trade Unions agrees to accept it, the union will have to ballot again on whether it would be prepared to undertake industrial action in support of a pay claim.
At the union's annual conference earlier this year, CPSU members passed a motion calling on the leadership to seek increases of 27 per cent in the proposed national pay talks with the Government.
The executive of Unite, the country's second largest union, last week also urged its members to reject the proposed national pay deal in its ballot.
However, the largest public sector union, Impact, has urged its members to support the agreement.
The country's largest union, Siptu, is to hold a consultative conference and ballot on the pay deal in the weeks ahead.
The proposed deal offers workers increases of 6 per cent phased over 21 months, with an additional 0.5 per cent for low paid employees.