Public servants in just 15 grades out of 109 will receive pay increases under recommendations published today by the public service benchmarking body.
It had been expected that the majority of public servants would receive no pay rise.
The body said that where the remuneration of a public service grade was below private sector levels, it had recommended an increase. "In other cases no increase is recommended."
Benchmarking body
An increase in salary is recommended for just one out of 10 civil service grades examined by the body.
Those on clerical officer, executive officer and engineering grades amongst others will receive no increase.
The principal grade in the civil service will receive a pay rise of just 1.1 per cent bringing the top salary to €107,960.
In local authority grades, just one of the nine grades examined will receive a pay rise.
Senior executive officers will get an increase of 5 per cent bringing the top salary to €90,540.
In the health sector, some 38 grades were examined by the body but an increase is recommended for just a handful.
The benchmarking body recommends an increase of 15 per cent for those on the principal medical officer grade to €116,278.
Some nursing grades will also be awarded increases, including the clinical nurse manager III grade, bringing that salary to €62,502 at the top end.
A claim for parity of pay between basic staff nurse grades and certain therapeutic grades, such as speech therapists, was found by the benchmarking body to be outside its terms of reference.
benchmarking report
The benchmarking body said it had regard to "the need to underpin the country's competitiveness and continued economic prosperity".
"The body acknowledged the importance of this part of the terms of reference and the relevance of public service pay in this context. On a general level the body took the view that the public service must not lead the private sector in terms of pay.
"The body also had regard to the effect of any movements in public service pay on the country's economic prosperity," the benchmarking body said in a summary.
The body said it took into account "the reasonable aspirations of public servants for equity of treatment relative to the private sector".
"In relation to this issue, the body, in accordance with the terms of reference, took into consideration all aspects of the pay and benefits available in the public service and private sector including matters such as perquisites, security of tenure and superannuation benefits."
Trade union Siptu said the report reflects the "failure of Government to address growing disparities in society". But the business body Ibec said it "brings reality" into pay settlement in the public service.
The previous benchmarking body, which reported in July 2002, awarded public servants an average increase of 8.9 per cent. This was paid in addition to the increases agreed in national pay talks.
The country's largest public sector union, Impact, warned this week that no increases under benchmarking for many workers in the public sector would present the Government with a major challenge in relation to public service modernisation.
The benchmarking body, which includes employer and union representatives, reviewed the salaries of 300,000 public sector employees, including civil servants, gardaí, teachers and nurses.