SENIOR PUBLIC SERVANTS want their pay cuts reversed and have told their union to make it their “primary goal”.
The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) held their annual conference today and called on their representatives to look for their pay levels to be restored.
As part of the Haddington Road Agreement, for salaries above €65,000 the reductions in pay will be restored to the pay rate that they would have had, but for the pay reduction, within 18 months of the end of the three-year Agreement.
Delegates voted to instruct the incoming executive to make this restoration their “primary goal” and to engage with the Minster for Public Expenditure and Reform about the possibility of beginning this process in Budget 2015.
“As the economy continues to recover, unemployment falls and we see ongoing pay rises to employees in the private sector, we see a clear case for an end to wage restraint in the public service,” outgoing secretary Dave Thomas told members.
Through the Haddington Road Agreement we succeeded to tying into the agreement dates for the restoration of pay cuts, but it is clear that pay restoration is an important issue for our members.
The AHCPS executive will seek agreement with Minister Brendan Howlin that “public service pay cuts and pension levy are no longer necessary”.
The group’s chairman Tom Allen said that ”much of the spadework for our economic recovery is directly attributed to our members”.
“As your colleagues in the private sector receive pay rises, I firmly believe that it’s time for the public service unions to join the queues for fair pay for our members,” he added.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say