The 'unsustainable' pay dispute that means many desperately needed new homes CAN'T be sold - and those that can could find it difficult to access vital everyday public services

Published: 22:51, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 22:51, 20 July 2026 No new Eircodes have been issued for weeks amid an ‘unsustainable’ pay dispute between surveyors at the land register and the Government, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal. Surveyors have effectively staged a sit-in at their office in Dublin’s Phoenix Park and are due to hold a ballot over industrial action over the three-year row. There is now a shortage of surveyors – who calculate coordinates for Eircodes – which is impacting Tailte Éireann’s ability to issue new postcodes. New homes often cannot be sold until an Eircode is issued, for land and financial registration purposes, and properties without postcodes can struggle to access services. Tailte Éireann managers have described the situation as ‘unsustainable’, claiming it poses ‘serious operational and reputational risks’ to the agency. The headquarters of Ordnance Survey Ireland in Dublin's Phoenix Park The dispute centres around the salary scale and pay rates for surveyors and involves Tailte Éireann, the Department of Housing and the Department of Public Expenditure (DPER). Tailte Éireann, set up in 2023, amalgamated the Land Registry, Land Valuation Office, and Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI). It claims the Department of Housing confirmed it had approval from the DPER to transfer surveyor staff from OSI onto the public sector pay scale, in December 2024. In internal e-mails, seen by the Mail, the agency claims the Department of Housing’s confirmation led to it securing a pay deal with trade union Forsa last year. But transfers were rejected by the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) – in charge of public payroll – which claimed positions were not sanctioned by the DPER. Tailte Éireann CEO Liam O'Sullivan It is understood surveying seniority scales do not align with the public sector pay scale. An e-mail from Tailte Éireann’s head of corporate affairs, Danny O’Sullivan, reveals the dispute resulted in ‘serious operational and reputational risks’ and is impacting ‘the issuing of new Eircodes’. Around 20% of agency surveyor positions are vacant due to the NSSO decision and seven senior positions, including a HR manager, have not been employed. According to a letter by Forsa assistant secretary, Jim Mitchell, to Tailte Éireann CEO, Liam O’Sullivan, last week, this ‘proved to be the breaking point’. Mr Mitchell told Mr O’Sullivan it will ballot surveyors tomorrow and could not guarantee other Tailte Éireann staff won’t strike too. He said the agreement to ballot staff came after Tailte Éireann began recruiting new surveyors and advertising a lower-than-agreed salary. Mr Mitchell told the CEO the workforce saw this as ‘yet another breach of good faith’. He said he could not rule out a ‘sympathetic ballot’ by other staff members ‘if this matter is allowed to fester’. In May, corporate affairs head, Danny O’Sullivan, pleaded with Housing to set-up a three-way meeting with the DPER. Now, under an agreement between Tailte Éireann and the OPW, former OSI staff due to move to new Smithfield offices have refused to leave the Phoenix Park. Mr O’Sullivan said agreement is ‘on hold’ as surveyors won’t move ‘until the pay assimilation issue is resolved’. The DPER said it has engaged with Housing and Tailte Éireann ‘since late 2022 in relation to staff transfer’ and is engaged with both. It said ‘there is no restriction on Tailte Éireann running recruitment competitions at the appropriate sanctioned general service grades’. A Housing spokesman said Tailte Éireann is an independent body and public pay policy is a DPER matter. Tailte Éireann did not respond to the Mail. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.