The benchmarking report on public service pay published today reflects the "failure of Government to address growing disparities in society", trade union Siptu said.
Siptu vice president Brendan Hayes said the report confirms a trend in the Irish economy where a "relentless war has been waged on workers' wages and conditions".
He said it was "hard to resist the feeling that [the Benchmarking Body] deliberately exercised its judgement against pay increases for public servants".
"The trend in the private sector has been for the pay packages of top managers to increase much faster than those for other employees.
"In fact, in some companies pay for other workers, including middle management grades have stalled and even started to go backwards in some cases. This is particularly true in relation to pensions," he added.
Mr Hayes said the Public Service Benchmarking Body report confirms this trend and applies it for the first time to public servants.
"That is why higher civil servants, including Government Ministers whose pay is linked to higher level managers in the private sector, received very big pay increases recently and why the Benchmarking Body has failed public service workers so badly."
Mr Hayes added: "The real significance of the Benchmarking Body Report is not that the great majority of ordinary public service workers will receive no increase, but that that this trend will continue into the future.
"Attacks on pay and conditions will continue in the private sector and ultimately apply to public service pensions and other conditions of employment."
The Siptu leader said the Benchmarking Body had decided to depart from the system of salary comparison used in the first report "without giving any compelling reason".
"Where a departure of this magnitude is made one would expect that there was a compelling argument justifying a departure from precedent.
"Had the original system of comparison been used the level of awards would have been somewhat higher. When viewed in the context of other decisions made by this Benchmarking Body it is hard to resist the feeling that it deliberately exercised its judgement against pay increases for public servants."
Mr Hayes said said individual groups within Siptu will examine the report over the coming weeks and develop their responses in the context of their specific circumstances.