The State could have to pay hundreds of millions of euro more in public service pay if a union campaign of equal pay claims is successful.
The union representing lower paid clerical civil servants has pledged to mount a series of claims to close the gender pay gap which it estimates at 15%.
The CPSU recently won an important equal pay claim for clerical members in the Garda Síochána.
In that instance, gardaí assigned to clerical duties were paid around €8,000 a year more in basic salary than clerical officers doing the same work.
In addition, the gardaí got an annual allowance of €4,400 for doing clerical work and were paid €656 a year to wear civilian clothes to work.
CPSU General Secretary Blair Horan told his union's annual conference in Galway that it intends to expand that successful test case to assist members in similar circumstances.
For example, he said that clerical workers are currently paid €10,000 a year less than prison officers doing the same work.
If the union was successful in all claims on behalf of its 11,000 members in the civil service, the CPSU estimates the cost of three years back money at €300m and an ongoing hike in the pay bill of €100m a year.
