Review of Building Momentum – Voting Hub

The WRC facilitated negotiations between public service unions and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) between May and June 2022 after the ICTU Public Services Committee (PSC) invoked a review clause in Building Momentum because of high and sustained inflation, which was not anticipated when the agreement was negotiated in late 2020.

The talks broke down on 17th June 2022 after union negotiators rejected a government offer totalling 5% (on top of existing Building Momentum pay adjustments).

Talks resumed on 29th August and the Government made an improved offer, which was further improved following negotiations, which ended in the early hours of Thursday, 30 August. Later that day, the WRC published its proposals.

On Thursday, 30 August 2022, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) published proposals for a public service pay package aimed at resolving differences between public service unions and the Government.

The PSC met and agreed that individual unions should consult members and/or ballot on the proposals, with ICTU President and lead negotiator Kevin Callinan setting out his view that this was the best deal that could be secured through the process. The PSC will meet again on 7th October 2022 to make a collective decision on whether to reject or accept the package.

The following are the proposed pay increases:

• 3% with effect from 2nd February 2022.
• 2% with effect from 1st March 2023.
• 1.5% or €750 a year (whichever is the greater) with effect from 1st October 2023. The €750 a year floor means those on lower incomes will receive a larger percentage increase than higher paid staff (see below). In the case of primary teachers in the first seven years of their career will receive the increase of €750 while all others will receive a 1.5% increase on that date.

The increases would apply to pensionable allowances including all allowances available to primary teachers, including qualification allowances, and allowances for promoted posts, including principal and deputy principal posts.

Yes. The increases proposed in the Review of Building Momentum would come on top of those paid and scheduled under the original Building Momentum agreement. These are:

• 1% or €500 a year (whichever is the greater) from 1st October 2021.
• The equivalent of 1% increase through sectoral bargaining from 1st February 2022.
• 1% or €500 a year (whichever is the greater) from 1st October 2022. Again, the €500 floor means those on lower incomes will receive a larger percentage increase than higher paid staff (see below).

In percentage terms, the package is worth an additional 6.5% between February 2022 and December 2023, on top of existing Building Momentum pay increases.

But the minimum increase of €750 (in October 2023) means a higher percentage increase for workers who earn below €50,000. This includes primary teachers in their first seven years of career.

For example, the salary level of teacher who began teaching in September 2022 on point one of the scale would rise from €38,192 to €43,006 by 1 October 2023 as a direct result of this review, relevant incremental progression and the remaining payment in the original Building Momentum agreement. This amounts to an increase of 12.6%.

If the package is accepted, the first additional increase of 3% will be backdated to 2 February 2022. This would appear in pay packets as a ‘lump sum’ back-payment after the agreement is ratified. This would likely be in November or December 2022.

The INTO will engage with the Department of Education to ensure prompt payment.

While there are no additional non-pay elements in this specific package, the Government came to the negotiations promising that economy-wide cost-of-living supports would accompany any pay improvements. Government indicated that these would be delivered through the 2023 Budget announcement (scheduled for 27 September 2022) and the Labour-Employer Economic Forum (LEEF), which is Ireland’s main national forum for social dialogue between unions, employers and Government.

No.The ‘sectoral bargaining fund’ established under the original Building Momentum agreement is not affected by the proposals. Groups of public servants that opted to use this 1% fund to address outstanding adjudications, recommendations, awards and claims relevant to specific grades, groups or categories of workers will continue to do so.

The INTO has used the sectoral bargaining fund to deliver:

• The equalisation of the daily casual rate of pay for part-time and substitute new entrant primary teachers.
• The payment of a Secure Unit Allowance to primary teachers who work in certain secure units and secure care settings.
• The adjustment to allowances for primary principals and deputy principals in accordance with the recommendation of the second benchmarking body.
• The payment of increased allowances to principals and deputy principals of large primary schools.
• The payment of a deputy principal allowance to the second teacher in two-teacher schools.
• The restoration of 1450 posts of responsibility to primary and special schools.

Yes, the skipping of points 4 and 8 will continue for post 1.1.2011 entrants and the skipping of point 12, a significant measure contained in the original Building Momentum agreement, which is specifically for teachers will also continue to apply to all primary teachers who joined the profession since 1st January 2011

If the proposed agreement is accepted, pay increases will be delivered through revised pay scales. Part-time workers, substitute teachers and job-sharers will get pro-rata adjustments based on the number of hours/days they work.

There are no additional productivity measures in the proposed package within the Review of Building Momentum. It reaffirms the measures in the original Building Momentum agreement.

Neither Building Momentum, as originally agreed, nor the proposals in the Review of Building Momentum address Croke Park Hours for anyone in the public service.

Earlier this year an independent body recommended to government that the additional unpaid hours being worked by public servants since the Haddington Road agreement in 2013 should be unwound and that the regular working week for public servants should return to 35 hours. The INTO made a submission to this Independent body.

The independent body noted that teachers have been in receipt of payment for mid-morning and lunchtime supervision since 2016-17 and consequently felt that these supervision hours ought to continue on a paid basis. At Teachers’ Conciliation Council teacher unions have recently sought the unwinding of the six Haddington Road Hours which apply to the supervision and substitution scheme.

The Review of Building Momentum states that in early 2023 an initial exploratory engagement will take place between public service unions and officials of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This engagement will focus on the potential for a future approach to addressing outstanding claims from unions, with a view to informing negotiations on a successor public service agreement.

The CEC will consult with members in the coming months in order to identify INTO’s top priorities for any longer-term public service agreement that may emerge following next Summer’s negotiations.

The review would extend the duration of Building Momentum by one year, so that it would expire on 31 December 2023. Unions would expect to be in negotiations on a successor agreement around the middle of next year.

Under public service agreements, increases in public service pay scales are generally reflected in public service pensions that are linked to pay scales. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has confirmed that, if accepted, this will apply to the proposed package in the Review of Building Momentum in the usual way.

The flat rate increases of €500 and €750 are particularly significant for those in early career who are in the career-average Single Public Service Pension Scheme, as increases in salary increase the ‘referable amount’ being paid and therefore increases their benefit.

Individual ICTU-affiliated unions representing public servants, including INTO are now consulting with their members and/or arranging ballots. The unions will meet again to take a collective decision on whether to accept or reject the package on Friday 7 October. Voting at that meeting will be weighted to reflect the number of public servants that each union represents.

The INTO will ballot its members electronically between 22 and 28 September inclusive.

The ICTU Public Services Committee (which represents most unions in the sector) has recommended that planned industrial action ballots be suspended while unions consult and/or ballot on the Review of Building Momentum. The CEC has therefore suspended INTOs planned ballot for industrial action.