Public service pay rises double those of industrial workers
The latest wage increases granted to public servants were nearly twice as large as those granted to industrial workers, it emerged today.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that public sector wages increased by 5.5% in the 12 months up to June, compared to 2.7% for industrial workers.
This means the average weekly public sector wage is now around €838 before tax compared to the average industrial wage of €577.
It is also higher than the average weekly wage of €776 in the banking, insurance and building society sector and €742 in the booming construction sector.
Prison officers and gardaí are the best paid public servants with overtime earnings bringing their average weekly wage to €1,128 and €1,083 respectively.
The CSO said overall employment in the public sector increased by 8,400 to 350,100 during the 12-month period.
This included an extra 4,300 workers in education and 3,200 in health. But employment in the semi-state sector fell by 800.
