The largest Civil Service union, which voted by three to one to withdraw from the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, has said its members' pay has fallen far behind that of teachers, nurses and gardai.
The Civil and Public Service Union (CPSU), whose members have traditionally been used as a "marker" grade by other public servants, is to consider whether to embark on industrial action at an executive meeting this month.
According to the CPSU's benchmarking submission, pay for its members has risen since 1960 by a factor of 26. In contrast, teachers' pay has risen by a factor of 29, Garda pay by 42 and that of nurses by 47.
Last month's vote to withdraw from the PPF was fuelled by a belief that not only were private sector workers doing better under national agreements but so were many workers in the public service.
In its submission, the CPSU argues that its 11,000 members in the Civil Service have fallen behind because groups such as teachers, nurses and gardai have used the clerical officer "marker" grade to justify basic increases and succeeded in obtaining "special" pay awards on top of those.
Even within the Civil Service many other groups have done better. For instance, the pay of assistant secretaries has risen by a factor of 30 and that of secretary generals by 41.5.
The benchmarking submission says differentials have been widening in recent years. Between 1990 and 2000, pay for clerical officers (COs) at the top of the scale rose from £12,110 to £19,515. Over the same period teachers' pay rose from £19,491 to £31,591, nurses' pay from £13,152 to £23,528 and Garda pay from £13,984 to £25,264.
The pay of senior civil servants rose even faster. That of an assistant secretary of a Government department rose from £38,438 to £74,892, and the pay of a secretary general rose from £50,274 to £120,000.
CPSU general secretary Mr Blair Horan said the huge increases at the top of the Civil Service were demotivating for other staff. "Within a public service ethos, where serving the citizen is a key element, such increases are not justifiable," he said. "With the Buckley reviews a small number of top civil servants' pay is being compared with that of senior executives in top-performing private sector companies, but there is no great evidence of senior civil servants leaving the public service."
Asked about the union's next move, Mr Horan said the CPSU was adopting "a very broad approach to pay strategy".
"Notwithstanding the three-to-one rejection of the revised PPF, the union has made a very comprehensive submission to the benchmarking body. At the same time we are not ruling out industrial action."