CIVIL SERVICE: Within the Civil Service, higher-ranking officials stand to benefit most from the pay increases recommended.
More than 30,000 people work in the Civil Service in areas such as Government Departments, the Oireachtas and the Courts Service.
If the benchmarking proposals are fully implemented, civil servants will get increases varying between 2.7 and 13.8 per cent.
Within the Civil Service, the lowest increase was recommended for laboratory technicians. The report recommended a 2.7 per cent increase on the €27,321-€42,496 salary range to give a salary of between €28,058 and €43,644.
Meanwhile, local authority staff would benefit from salary increases of between 4 and 13.8 per cent under the proposals.
The largest percentage increase was recommended for senior executive officers who now earn from €46,568 to €61,284. A 13.8 per cent increase would provide a salary scale of €52,994-€69,741.
Like their colleagues in the Civil Service, clerical officers (grade 3) in local authorities would receive an 8.5 per cent increase under the deal, providing a salary range of €18,789-€30,452.
Graduate engineers would see their starting pay rise from €25,090 to €26,169 while senior engineers would receive a 10.5 per cent increase.
The largest union in the public service, SIPTU, is to consult extensively with its members over the benchmarking body's recommendations.
The union's Dublin regional secretary, Mr Brendan Hayes, said the union would not be rushing to judgment on the report. "The members of each of our negotiating teams will carry out an in-depth assessment of the contents of this document," he said. "We intend to consult as widely as possible with our members, and this cannot be done overnight."
IMPACT, similarly, is to consult widely with its members, its general secretary, Mr Peter McLoone, said.
Mr Dan Murphy, general secretary of the Public Service Executive Union, said the union's executive committee would be meeting shortly to discuss the report.
He pointed out that the union's annual conference had adopted a motion calling for any increases due under benchmarking to be paid by the end of 2003.