SIPTU WORKERS HAVE voted to accept a new public sector pay deal that would raise public servants’ salaries over the next two years.

Members of Siptu, the latest union to ballot workers on the agreement, are more than 90% in favour of accepting the deal.

The union counted ballots today at centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway. 

After lengthy negotiations between unions and the government, an agreement was arrived at that covers 2024 to 2026 and would see a series of pay rises over the period adding up to 10.25%.

Unions have since been balloting their members and the final decision whether to accept the deal will be made at a meeting of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on Monday 25 March. 

Fórsa, the largest trade union for public service workers, is in favour of the deal, along with the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland and the Prison Officer’ Association.

Speaking at Siptu’s count centre in Liberty Hall in Dublin, Deputy General Secretary, John King said that more than 90% of votes cast by the union’s members were in favour of the proposed new agreement, which he said would “signify a marked improvement in pay for public service workers”.

He said the deal also safeguards against job outsourcing and the privatisation of services and includes a mechanism to address local claims and disputes within the public service.

“Our members have decided that the agreement goes someway to addressing the cost of living and inflation challenges facing them. It also provides for a degree of enhancement of their terms and conditions of employment,” King said.

“The rejection or acceptance of the agreement by members of Ictu-affiliated unions in the public service will be determined by the aggregating of the results of all the ballots conducted by the individual unions. This result is expected to be known next Monday.”