Staff at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, Dublin, have won increases of up to 42 per cent, on top of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.
The increases for 30 artistic and technical personnel were secured by SIPTU through a structural review outside the benchmarking process. One of the comparator groups used to justify the increase was secondary teachers.
The deal has been sanctioned by the Department of Finance, as well as the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. It was concluded three weeks ago, when the secondary teachers' dispute was approaching its climax.
One reason SIPTU was able to make its claim outside the benchmarking process was that IMMA staff are not among the groups listed for a hearing. SIPTU negotiator Mr Des Hughes says IMMA staff are neither part of the mainstream public service nor private sector workers. He does not rule out a benchmarking claim in the future.
"These workers are a mainly transient group of third-level arts graduates with low rates of pay," he said. "The new rates and the reduction in the length of their pay scale, although an improvement, still have a way to go before they fully reflect the qualifications and artistic skills of these workers."
The new rates still compare poorly with those of professions such as teachers. Mediators who supervise and interpret works of art for the public had a nine-point pay scale of £12,000 to £15,000. It is now £14,545 to £20,163 over six points, giving pay rises worth between 18 per cent and 27 per cent to the individuals concerned.
Technical crew, who unload and assemble new works of art at the IMMA, had an 11-point pay scale of £12,000 to £16,000. It is now £15,566 to £22,163 over seven points.