Ó An Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí, Seachadta ar an bPlean Forbartha Náisiúnta, agus Athchóirithe
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Colin Menton, Deputy Secretary General responsible for Public Service Delivery, Public Service Resources and Public Service Transformation Divisions discusses the link between the recent Public Sector Pay Agreement and Better Public Services.
Can you give a brief overview of the Public Service Pay Agreement and what it aims to achieve?
The new pay deal will run for two and half years to end June 2026. It is the latest in a series of Public Service agreements that started with the Croke Park Agreement in 2010.
The new agreement provides for pay increases for public servants of 9.25%, as well as a provision for a Local Bargaining mechanism equivalent to 1% of the basic pay cost. It also sets out the transformation agenda that management and unions will work together to progress to support reform and improvement in public services over the coming years.
Public Service agreements provide benefits for all parties. For public servants the agreements provide for wage improvements and valuable income certainty, together with mechanisms to progress particular issues and resolve disputes within a fair and equitable framework. For Government, agreements provide stability in terms of the management of the public wage bill. They also help support a climate of industrial peace which is important to fostering economic growth and maintaining Ireland’s reputation as an attractive location for foreign investment.
What was your and the department’s role in this?
The Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform has lead responsibility for managing public service pay and conditions, in the context of the overall management of the public finances and the budgetary process.
My role in this process was to lead the negotiating team on behalf of the Minister and Government in discussions with public service unions and representative associations aimed at trying to reach agreement on a new Public Service Agreement. As well as a team drawn from across our own Department, we also worked very closely with, and relied hugely on, the support and contribution of our colleagues across the various sectors of the public service.
The negotiation process involved extensive engagement with our union and representative association counterparts with the expert assistance of officials in the Workplace Relations Commission, who facilitate the process.
Throughout the negotiations, our aim was to arrive at an outcome that provided for fair and affordable pay increases for public servants while also continuing to enable delivery on the Government’s reform agenda in a climate of industrial peace. I think the new agreement achieves those goals.
Can you explain why Public Service Transformation is central to the new pay agreements?
A key objective of every Public Service agreement has been to facilitate and enable the implementation of reforms to improve service delivery to the public and to businesses.
The Public Service Agreement 2024 – 2026 is aligned with the broad goals and objectives of Better Public Services - The Public Service Transformation 2030 Strategy supported by the key national reform plans, strategies and frameworks.
As was the case under Building Momentum, a key element of the new Agreement is that each sector will produce and publish reform action plans and progress reports that will demonstrate what is being achieved each year.
How will the Public Service Pay Agreement support Better Public Services?
Better Public Services sets out an ambitious agenda for the transformation of public services over the coming years. This vision can only be realised with the support, input and contribution of civil and public servants. The new agreement seeks to provide for public service employers and Public Service unions and associations to work together to implement measures that will contribute to the core themes of Digital and Innovation at scale and Workforce and Organisation of the future.
In relation to digital transformation, for example, the parties to the new agreement acknowledge that the public service must play its part in taking a lead role, embracing and adapting to digitalisation and technological developments. This will include maximising the benefits of modern and emerging information technology including Artificial Intelligence, and related technologies, Robotic Process Automation and Data Analytics. The Agreement will enable progress on revised working arrangements and work practices in support of the delivery of improved and more accessible public services over a seven-day week where needed.
The Agreement will also support the creation of opportunities to attract talented candidates into the Public Service beyond traditional recruitment methods. Progress in this regard is being realised through the implementation of the Public Service Apprenticeship Plan which was launched in August 2023 and which sets a target of at least 750 annual apprenticeship registrations across all Public Service organisations to be achieved by 2025.
Find out more about Public Service transformation at the Better Public Services website