Northern Ireland Assembly members are set to unanimously reject a proposed £5,000 salary increase, it was revealed tonight.
All parties came out against the pay hike which was one of the recommendations of a report from the Senior Salaries Review Board (SSRB).
If the increase had been approved it would have put Northern Ireland members on a par with their counterparts in Scotland and Wales, increasing salaries to £45,000.
The report is expected to be discussed at the next meeting of the Assembly Commission on May 28th.
Other recommendations, including an allocation of an extra £12,000 in office allowances to allow MLAs to employ an extra member of staff could still be approved.
The Commission is also expected to back a recommendation to introduce disabled facilities at Stormont and party offices.
In a rare show of unanimity, the Ulster Unionist, SDLP, Sinn Fein, DUP and PUP have all indicated they are against the wages boost.
"The matter was discussed at a routine Assembly meeting and most members believed it would be unpopular with their constituents," a UUP source said.
Progressive Unionist Party MLA Billy Hutchinson said his party would be voting against it: "We don't need another pay rise at the moment. We believe Assembly members are paid enough."
A Women's Coalition spokeswoman said a third pay increase could not be justified.
PA