The MLSA attended a meeting between the Public Services Committee (PSC) of ICTU and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform yesterday 25th September, with regard to proposals to address the new entrant pay anomaly as provided for under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020.
The intention of the proposal is to ensure that public servants will no longer be at a disadvantage based the fact that they were recruited after 1stJanuary 2011, when the then Government imposed a 10% pay cut on new entrant salary scales. An interim measure to address the grievance was introduced under the Haddington Road agreement in 2013, which merged the two-tier salary scales by the addition of two additional increments at the bottom of the new ‘merged’ salary scale.
Following detailed discussions between the PSC and Government representatives, it is now proposed that new entrants will skip increment points four and eight on the basic grade salary scale. The first measure will apply from 1stMarch 2019 and will apply to all eligible new entrants as they reach the relevant incremental scale points (points 4 and 8) on their next individual increment date.
Staff who have already passed point 4 will not be disadvantaged as they will still benefit from the increment scale ‘jump’. For example, staff on point 4 or 5 will skip one increment at their next increment date after 1stMarch 2019 and proceed to point 6 or 7 respectively. Staff on point 6 or 7 will skip two increments together and progress to point 9 or 10 respectively at their next increment date. This skipping of two increments will similarly apply to staff on points 8 and above at their next increment date after 1stMarch 2019.
The MLSA Executive Committee will consider the proposal in detail at its October Meeting.
Members who have any queries on the proposal should contact head office for assistance.