Video: New Ambition. New Direction
It has been an eventful year for our union which is ending on a very positive note.
The union is making a difference in improving the quality of the lives of our members through its effective industrial, organising and campaigning work.
Under the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA), all SIPTU members working in the public health service, earning up to €30,000 will see an increase of 1% in their wages from January.
The pension levy threshold will also rise to €32,000, increasing pay by €325 a year for the majority of SIPTU members.
The deal, which was negotiated by SIPTU and other unions in 2017, will also deliver another 1.75% salary adjustment in September 2019.
Further pay restoration and another adjustment in the pension levy threshold are also due next year.
The PSSA will also see an end to the pension levy on any non-pensionable elements of public service incomes from January 2019.
Three significant changes to the public service ‘additional superannuation contribution,’ which replaced the so-called pension levy under the Public Service Stability Agreement, will also come into force on 1st January.
- First, the threshold for paying the levy will rise to €32,000, bringing a net improvement of €325 a year for most civil and public servants. Those who currently earn less than €30,000 a year, who do not benefit from this change, will instead get a 1% pay increase next month.
- Secondly, there’s a further boost for those who joined the public service after January 2013 and who are in the single public service pension scheme, which was introduced at that time. They will now pay only two-thirds of the additional contribution rate – a figure that will fall to one-third next year. This reflects the fact that the benefits of the single scheme are different from those in the older scheme.
- Thirdly, the contribution will no longer be payable on any non-pensionable elements of public service incomes from January 2019.
Earlier this year, SIPTU and other ICTU unions, also insisted on early measures to address the ‘new entrants’ pay issue even though, under the agreement, this was not bound to be dealt with until 2020 at the earliest.
The Public Service Committee of Congress also insisted that the Public Service Pay Commission started its work on recruitment and retention issues in the health service. Our submission can be read here
Non-pay provisions in the PSSA include strong protections against outsourcing and a fix on professional registration fees.
For Section 39 workers, €1000 in pay restoration will be paid from April 2019.
Payments will also be made in 2020 and 2021.
These proposals ensure that, after a long and hard fought campaign, our members working in Section 39 organisations will get full pay restoration.
It goes without saying that as a union we have a lot more to do to cover the lost ground suffered by many workers during the economic downturn.
However, we are on the right track and must continue to assert our rights as a movement to ensure fairness at work and justice in society.
Our collective success relies completely on the energy and commitment of the many thousands of SIPTU activists in workplaces across the country.
As we prepare for a New Year and new challenges we, together, can face them with confidence in the growing strength of our union.
