The following is a summary of the main points of the proposals arising from talks on a proposed extension to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, for Congress affiliates operating in the public sector. The duration of the proposed deal would be from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020.
Under the proposals, more than more than 90% of public servants will have exited out of FEMPI pay provisions, and almost a quarter will be out of FEMPI pension levy payments by 2020, while 73% of public servants would gain more than 7%, over the course of the deal. A full copy of the proposed agreement is available here.
Pay and pension levy
- 1st January 2018: 1% pay adjustment
- 1st October 2018: 1% pay adjustment
- 1st January 2019: Pension levy threshold up from €28,750 to €32,000 (worth €325pa)
- 1st January 2019: 1% pay adjustment for those earning less than €30,000
- 1st September 2019: 1.75% pay adjustment
- 1st January 2020: Pension levy threshold increased to €34,500 (worth €250pa)
- 1st October 2020: 2% pay adjustment.
- Combination of pay and pension levy adjustments worth 7.4% to those earning €30,000 a year or less, over lifetime of deal
- Combination of pay and pension levy adjustments worth 7% to those earning between €50,000 and €55,000 a year, over lifetime of deal
- Combination of pay and pension levy adjustments worth between 6.6% and 6.9% for those between €55,000 and €80,000 a year, over lifetime of deal.
Pensions
- No change in value of pensions. No move to CPI link for increases over lifetime of the agreement. Pay-pension link to continue. No career average calculation for future service.
- Highest additional pension contribution for those on "fast accrual" pensions – lowest for post-2013 entrants in new 'single" pension arrangement.
Other provisions
- No weakening of outsourcing protections
- No change in working hours, but facility to revert to pre-Haddington Road hours with commensurate pay adjustment
- No extension of Saturday working: Facility to review rostering arrangements for groups, but no change without agreement
- An end to pension levy on non-pensionable earnings, including overtime
- Process to address longer pay scales for new (post 2010) entrants
- Process to assess recruitment and retention problems
- No increase in CORU fees over lifetime of deal
- Commitments on work-life balance arrangements.
