The €1,000 to be paid to 250,000 public servants is not a lump sum payment but an increase in annualised salaries for the period April 1st to August 31st, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said.
He told Labour leader Brendan Howlin that the deal referred specifically to those on annualised salaries up to €65,000 who were parties to the Lansdowne Road Agreement and did not stand to benefit from the Labour Court recommendations made on November 3rd for the Garda associations.
During Leaders’ Questions Mr Kenny said it was the first part of a two-phase approach in securing the future of collective pay agreements, and it involved addressing the anomalies arising from the recommendations of the Labour Court.
He said the second phase involved creating conditions to allow for a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.
Mr Howlin said it was clarification in respect of what was announced on Tuesday morning.
“It is not actually an increase of €1,000 but an increase of €1,000 annualised from April to August because the measure was provided for in the estimates commencing in September.”
The Labour leader said the Taoiseach had not indicated where the money came from, and whether it cost €128 million or €175 million.
Mr Kenny said it cost €120 million.
