About 2,000 junior and middle-ranking staff at Irish Life & Permanent (IL&P) are voting on pay increases this year and next, as proposed by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).

Staff are balloting on whether to seek a 2.5 per cent pay increase this year backdated to last August and a further 2.5 per cent increase from August 2010.

The increases are being sought by all staff earning €55,000 or less a year.

A spokesman for the company said it would consider increases after the ballot, which ends on November 27th.

The increases were proposed by the LRC in a compromise to replace pay increments of about 3 per cent, which have not been paid so far, and a further 3.5 per cent proposed this year and 2.5 per cent next year under the national wage agreement.