NIPSA, the union for officials in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, will seek a pay deal equalling “inflation plus a 3% increase on all scale points and allowances” for each of the next three years.
The union has announced it has finished consulting with members on the pay claim – which is for 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 – and said members had overwhelmingly endorsed the claim.
NIPSA is also seeking to amalgamate the AA and AO grades and for the new combined grade to have a single point scale.
It also wants to remove the bottom point on all other pay scales (EOII to Grade 6).
The union said it will now submit the claim to NICS management on behalf of its members in the NICS and those ALBs that mirror NICS pay.
NIPSA represents more than 19,000 civil servants and staff in public bodies employed on civil service terms and conditions.
Carmel Gates, NIPSA’s general secretary, said the union’s executive committee had listened to feedback from members and “wishes to make clear that any potential economic changes that could negatively affect the real-terms value of the award over time will be considered”.
“It will be essential, therefore, to build in review points in advance of the April award each year,” it said. “Such review points would consider inflation at that time.”
Earlier this year, unions accepted a 20-month pay deal that will see civil servants in Northern Ireland get a pay rise worth just over 9% covering the period of August 2024 to March 2026, with future pay awards to be linked to the financial year.
The NI Department of Finance has been approached for comment.