Irish government secures new public-sector pay deal -unions

DUBLIN Feb 25 (Reuters) - The Irish government struck an agreement with the largest public-sector unions on Monday to extend a pay deal that has been credited with avoiding industrial unrest during the country's financial crisis.

Officials from the SIPTU and IMPACT trade unions, the country's largest, said a deal had been reached on an extension to the Croke Park pay deal, which the government has said it hopes will provide savings of 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over three years.