In summary the claim is as follows:-

 

The claim also takes into account the policies adopted at the 2009 Civil Service Group Conference. The Executive Committee believes that all elements of the claim are fully justified.

 

 

As set out at sub paragraph (a) above the key element of the claim is the basic pay increase on all rates of pay with effect from 1^st August 2009. In the last 3 year settlement the effective basic “cost of living” increase was limited to just 2% per year. On the other hand, across that same three year period, RPI inflation was consistently well above 3% until this year, and reached 5% in 2008. 

 

With members facing spiralling household and living costs, last year NIPSA submitted a claim for an across the board £1,000 pay increase on all rates of the pay to be effective from 1^st August 2008 but Management Side refused to reopen negotiations on the 3 year settlement. The Executive Committee considers that members should not have to shoulder those increases in the cost of living. 

 

Furthermore, a significant number of grades did not receive the 2% per annum consolidated pay increase and the agreed commitment to review the pay/grading of those affected has still to be completed. We consider that these pay deficits from the last pay round cannot be ignored and we have therefore incorporated that £1,000 claim again in the 2009 claim.

 

 

A key objective for NIPSA is the elimination of low pay. Without significant pay increases thousands of NI Civil Service staff would be receiving hourly rates of pay just above the new National Minimum Wage of £5.80 per hour effective from 1^st October 2009. We believe the most effective way of reducing low pay is to incorporate flat rate elements in the pay claim.

 

Consequently as well as the £1,000 flat rate outstanding from last year, the 2009 pay claim includes the call for a further flat rate increase of £1,000 or 3% whichever the greater.

 

 

Some progress was made in the last settlement on reducing the length of the pay scales for the lowest paid grades. NIPSA’s policy agreed by Annual Conference is that all members should be able to progress to pay scale maxima within a total 5 years service in the grade. In the 2009 pay round we wish to make further progress on this issue. We have called for single pay rates to apply particularly at AA, AO and all related grades. We will also press for 3 point pay scales where possible for other grades.

 

We have also called for incremental progression pay increases to be implemented automatically with effect from 1^st August 2009 and for the costs of incremental progression to be discounted in determining the basic pay increase on all rates of pay.

 

 

The vast majority of public servants in Northern Ireland have parity of pay with their counterparts in the rest of the UK either enshrined in law or by their contracts of employment. It is right and fair that the same underpinning principle should apply to all NI Civil Service staff as it does for the Senior Civil Service.

 

Consequently we have restated in the claim that appropriate pay rates should be increased where necessary to achieve parity of pay for equivalent staff in Home Civil Service Departments.

 

 

Finally we have also made it clear to Management Side that this 2009 pay claim for all grades must be treated separately from the ongoing negotiations on the outstanding equal pay claims for the AA, AO, EOll and related grades (see NIPSA Bulletin B/14/09). 

We are pressing DFP to progress these 2009 pay negotiations as quickly as possible and we will keep members fully informed of all developments.