1212. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason the 1.5% local bargaining pay increase and improved leave arrangements were made conditional on accepting the wider SNA Workforce Development Plan; and the reason members were asked to vote on these as separate questions if one could not be implemented without the other. [56092/26]

1213. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department intends to permanently withhold the negotiated 1.5% pay increase and leave provisions; and if not, if they will respect the distinct outcome of the local bargaining ballot. [56093/26]

1214. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will commit to returning to meaningful negotiations with an organisation (details supplied) immediately to separate pay adjustments from wider contractual overhauls. [56094/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1212 to 1214, inclusive, together.

Chapter 4 of the outgoing Public Service Agreement (PSA) 2024–2026 provides for Local Bargaining, a mechanism through which employers and trade unions may agree changes to structures, work practices and conditions of service in return for an agreed local bargaining payment.

A key part of the local bargaining process, agreed between the Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPER) and the Public Services Committee of ICTU, is that parties at sectoral level agree reform measures known as ‘management priorities’ in return for payment of agreed local bargaining claims. It is a matter for each individual union to decide to ballot its members on any matter, including the agreed outcomes of local bargaining negotiations. My Department has no involvement in decisions taken by a trade union to ballot of its members on local bargaining matters.

The Department recently responded to Fórsa’s letter outlining the outcome of their consultation ballot on the Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan and Local Pay Bargaining Offer. In that response the Department confirmed it remains committed to constructive engagement with Fórsa and is available to engage in relation to these matters.