Updated, 07:35
PUBLIC SERVANTS earning more than €65,000 a year are set to take a hit from July, after TDs voted this evening to pass legislation to cut their pay.
The final vote on the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill was passed by 81 votes to 50.
Every present TD from the opposition benches opposed the Bill, but their votes were easily outweighed by the presence of scores of Fine Gael and Labour TDs.
Sinn Féin asked for a manual walk-through vote after an original electronic vote, which was passed 82 to 50, hoping to offer government TDs a second opportunity to oppose the pay cuts.
The legislation will now go to the Seanad where it is scheduled to pass all stages by tomorrow evening.
It will then go to Áras an Úachtaráin for its signature into law by President Higgins.
The proposals form part of the government’s ‘Haddington Road’ pay proposals for the 292,000 public sector workers, with the pay cuts being enforced irrespective of whether public unions vote to accept the rest of the proposals.
The Bill introduces pay cuts of 5.5 per cent for public workers on salaries over €65,000, with incremental pay cuts of 8 per cent for wages over €80,000; 9 per cent for pay between €150,000 and €180,000, and 10 per cent for pay above that amount.
The legislation will have a direct impact on TDs themselves, whose salaries will take a cut of €5,413.76, leaving their pay at €87,258.24.
Senators would take a slightly lesser pay cut, as the legislation enforces a minimum pay floor of €65,000 for affected workers – meaning their current salary of €65,621 would only fall by €621.
Update: This piece originally stated that the pay cuts would take immediate effect once the legislation was enacted. This was incorrect and we regret this error.
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