The way has been cleared for some 35,000 civil servants to receive a 2 per cent pay increase under the national wage agreement.
The award was approved after independently chaired groups established to monitor the civil servants' work found that they had met the conditions of the Sustaining Progress agreement.
Civil servants working in 27 departments will receive the pay increases in addition to gains already made under benchmarking and earlier stages of Sustaining Progress.
The chairman of the Civil Service Performance Verification Group , Dr Donal DeBuitleir, concluded that all civil servant grades deserved the 2 per cent rise. Some have already begun to receive the higher wage.
Dr DeBuitleir's decision was based on an evaluation of how well staff had fulfilled the conditions of Sustaining Progress.
These include the maintenance of stable industrial relations, co-operation with flexibility and implementation of a modernisation agenda.
Dr DeBuitleir identified no major breach of the conditions, although he noted there had been two limited cases of industrial action. These cases, which involved attendants at the National Library and the National Museum, did not prevent them being awarded the latest increase.
The chairman found that civil servants had co-operated with flexibility and requirements for ongoing change. He also accepted that modernisation programmes had been implemented effectively, although he pointed out that "more specific reporting" would enhance the verification group's ability to consider progress in this area.
He also called for greater progress to be made on implementing competitive promotion procedures and open recruitment policies.
The second part of Sustaining Progress allowed for three pay increases in 2004, including the latest 2 per cent payment. A 3 per cent increase was due in January last year, while this was followed by a 2 per cent increase in July.
These payments came in addition to increases due under benchmarking. Civil servants were awarded an average pay rise of 8.9 per cent under benchmarking, with the final quarter due in June.
