The move will mean the basic rate for those working in the sector will increase from €12.90 to €14.50 per hour, an improvement of €62.40 on a 39 hour working week.
The move will address a situation in which pay in the sector had slipped to just 20 cent per hour above the minimum wage as a result of the last ERO, which was signed by then minister of state, Neale Richmond in August of last year, having been held up for more than a year by a legal action mounted by three firms in the sector.
The pay increase it provided, from €11.65 to €12.90, was the first the workers, who are mainly employed by contracting firms, had received in four years.
“I greatly appreciate the difficult and important work undertaken by workers in the security industry,” said Emer Higgins as the announcement confirming the new ERO was made on Friday.
“These workers often face significant personal risk to ensure public safety. I also recognise that this is a sector which has undergone significant professionalisation in recent years which requires security workers to have training and qualification requirements to complete their roles.
“I remain strongly supportive of the state’s collective bargaining and wage setting mechanisms, and the important work of the Joint Labour Committees in setting Employment Regulation Orders. I would like to thank the members of the Joint Labour Committee for Security and the Labour Court for their work in delivering this Employment Regulation Order.”
The new ERO also sets out improved conditions for the sector including an unsocial hours payment of at least €12.60 per shift and a schedule for further improvements over the coming 18 months.