The State's largest Civil Service union is to call a special delegate conference in September to consider the outcome of the Public Service Benchmarking Body.
The general secretary of the Civil and Public Service Union, Mr Blair Horan, told delegates at the union's annual conference in Galway yesterday the Government would be "in for a hot autumn" if members were not treated fairly in relation to other public service employees.
The union represents over 10,000 clerical staff in the Civil Service and they are among the lowest paid grades employed by the State.
Unlike leaders of the teaching and nursing unions, Mr Horan was careful not to put a percentage increase on the minimum amount that would be acceptable to his members, but he clearly signalled that any further widening of the gap in public service salary scales was not acceptable.
Union members "expect the benchmarking body to address their pay aspirations in a fundamental and realistic way", he said. In a clear reference to the higher pay increases granted to senior civil servants under the Buckley Review system, he said the benchmarking body "must commence a process that will see the fruits of the Celtic Tiger shared fairly, rather than the bigger share out of the pay bill cake still going to the higher paid while front-line troops, our members, stay marginalised in pay terms".
The union will apply three criteria to the benchmarking awards. The first will be equity between grades, the second will be "the very serious issue of gender discrimination within pay structures" and the third will be comparisons with the private sector. The union has an 80 per cent female membership and has achieved a number of major equality case victories in recent years.
The Irish Business and Employers Confederation also came under attack for trying to "walk away" from national agreements now that there were no more tax cuts to subsidise low pay increases.
Mr Horan said this was not the 1980s, when high unemployment gave employers extra leverage.
Meanwhile, the union warned the Government that industrial action will be taken by 600 members working as clerical staff in Garda stations throughout the State unless up to 600 extra posts are filled "immediately".
CPSU assistant general secretary Ms Rosaleen Glacken said Garda management and representative bodies were still resisting civilianisation.
"It is a gross misuse of the tax payers' money to have gardaí of all ranks from garda to sergeant to inspector, who have been recruited and trained to enforce the law and prevent crime, sitting at desks in Garda stations doing clerical and administrative duties.
"It costs up to €38,000 to train a garda in Templemore for operational duties. They are also blocking promotional opportunities for low paid clerical officers," said Ms Glacken.