Consultants to compare pay in public and private sectors

The State's Public Service Benchmarking Body is to update its benchmarking processes in a new comparison between public sector pay and that available to the private sector.

The benchmarking body has advertised on the Government's e-tendering website for consultants to carry out "a fundamental examination of the pay of a range of Irish public service employees".

The process involves six separate contracts for a review of the salaries of:

• The Garda , and prisons, military and ambulance personnel;

• Teachers, lecturers and other education grades;

• Certain health, engineering and technician grades;

• Nursing, medical and dental grades;

• Management and supervisory grades;

• Clerical grades.

Benchmarking is overseen by an implementation group of departmental secretaries general, which has responsibility for modernising the public service.

The review, for which tender documents have to be lodged by July 17th, is designed to compare public service employees' work and pay "by reference to jobs of similar size in the private sector".

Blair Horan, of the Civil and Public Service Union, said yesterday the process was distinct from a review of the key performance indicators used in benchmarking which was announced by the Taoiseach at an Institute of Public Administration conference last week.

Mr Horan said the benchmarking process was simply being updated, a process which "happens every four years or so to ensure benchmarking parity".

When he was speaking last week Mr Ahern reminded delegates that "benchmarking does not apply to pay only", and said he wanted to ensure the performance indicators were "not only appropriate and useful, but that they are compatible across departments and agencies".