Over 250,000 State employees, including teachers, could get an early down payment from the Government's new bench marking body, which held its first meeting yesterday in Dublin.
The down payment could help to dampen a threatened pay revolt, but details of how it might be done have still to be discussed by the social partners.
Speaking at the meeting, the chairman of the public services committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Mr Peter McLoone, said it was too early to speculate on changes in the benchmarking review timetable. He said the decision to bring the completion date forward from the end of 2002 to June 2002 had been taken by the ICTU in direct discussions with the Government.
"Any further moves to make benchmarking more attractive will be taken through the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness review process," he said.
Yesterday's meeting dealt largely with clarifying points and setting criteria for comparing public and private sector pay. The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland was not present and intends to resume its industrial action tomorrow when supervision at schools will be withdrawn.
Its general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, said that, as presently constituted, the body was useless to the ASTI because it was not a suitable forum to advance its 30 per cent claim. The ASTI would consult its wider membership on the course of its industrial action next week.
The two other teacher unions, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and the Teachers' Union of Ireland were at the meeting. The TUI general secretary, Mr Jim Dorney, said there was a vacant seat at the table where the ASTI would normally be.
Earlier the secretary of the public services committee, Mr Dan Murphy, said benchmarking was needed to ensure equity between employees in the public service and the private sector. It was also necessary to ensure that the public service was in a position to attract and retain the staff needed to deliver the range and quality of services that the public was entitled to expect.
The members of the body are: a former general secretary of SIPTU, Mr Bill Attley; the outgoing IBEC director-general, Mr John Dunne; a former president of ICTU, Mr Philip Flynn; a management consultant, Ms Maureen Lynott; the former secretary-general of the Department of Finance, Mr Paddy Mullarkey; and Davy Stockbrokers' chief economist, Mr Jim O'Leary.