THE FÓRSA TRADE union is recommending its members accept a public sector pay deal which would see workers get a 6.5% pay rise across two years.

The national executive of Fórsa – which is Ireland’s largest public service union – today voted overwhelmingly to recommend that its members vote in favour of the pay package proposed by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) earlier this week.

The union will begin balloting members next week and voting will conclude in October.

The proposed pay deal would see public sector workers receive an increase of 6.5% across this year and next year.

A 3% increase would be paid this year, backdated to February. Next March a 2% rise would come into effect and a further 1.5% jump or €750 (whichever is the greater) would be introduced on 1 October 2023.

The minimum payment of €750 from next October means the package would amount to an 8% pay increase for workers earning €25,000 a year and a 7% spike for those on €37,500 a year.

The pay rises would be in addition to increases of up to 3% agreed under the existing public sector pay deal ‘Building Momentum’.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said the executive accepted that the deal was the best that could currently be achieved through negotiations.

“We’ll now be explaining this package to Fórsa members, who will decide the union’s position when a final decision is taken next month. The Fórsa executive considered the details of the package and had a constructive debate, which strongly acknowledged the financial realities facing working people across the economy – and their fears for the future.

“While neither side achieved all it sought in the negotiations, this package is a significant improvement on the pay terms of Building Momentum. And it is worth more to those who need it most.

“Today’s discussion by Fórsa’s elected leadership underpinned the fact that workers expect the government to honour its promise to supplement pay measures with robust cost-of-living supports in the forthcoming Budget, and through the Labour-Employer Economic Forum (LEEF) process. A failure to do so is likely to affect the decisions that Fórsa members make in this ballot,” Callinan said.