NIPSA members whose pay is determined by the NI Assembly will be acutely aware that they have not yet received the pay award that was due from 1 April 2026. This is because a budget has not yet been agreed by the NI Executive parties.
Department of Finance officials and the NI Executive parties are in discussion with Treasury Officials in an effort to improve the current allocation - a process we hope is not delayed by the changes at the top of government in Britain.
Although a draft budget was issued for consultation here in the early part of the year, it was clear then that the allocation was not enough. As NIPSA has been pointing out for many years, the level of funding allocated by Westminster under the Barnett Formula does not come close to meeting our assessed level of need. This fact has been outlined in the independent report commissioned by the NI Executive and has been backed up by the work done by the Fiscal Council. By comparison, both Wales and Scotland are funded above the level of their assessed need. If we were funded at the same level as Scotland, we would have an additional £3billion and if we were funded like Wales, we would have an additional £1billion.
The consequence of underfunding, going back more than 20 years, is that public services here are in a dire state and public sector workers have been underpaid. Any budget implemented under the current formula would lead to further drastic cuts which is why NIPSA has called for a needs-based budget.
NIPSA is continuing to take action to argue for higher funding. The issue was raised recently with an NIO Minister, and we have begun a round of meetings with all the political parties here to make the case for a better budget and decent pay awards. We have also secured a commitment from the Finance Minister that when a budget is settled, he will prioritise public service pay.
I would urge all members to contact your local MLAs and MPs to seek their support in making the case for an appropriate financial settlement that will provide for properly funded services and appropriate pay awards.
Further updates will be provided as necessary.
Carmel Gates,
General Secretary
NIPSA General Secretary Carmel Gates and Deputy General Secretary Maria Morgan meeting with Eóin Tennyson MLA earlier this week to press the urgent need for abetter budget settlement and fair pay for members.