495 - THE TWICE-MONTHLY BULLETIN FOR PAY ANDE BENEFIT SPECIALISTS - Pay awards set to rise - The latest analysis from the IRS pay databank confirms the subdued bargaining climate in the first quarter of this year, with pay awards pitched at 2.5% for the fifth consecutive month. But with inflation and earnings on an upward path will settlements now follow suit? Our first snapshot of early April deals suggests that an upturn in settlements is a real possibility, with rising inflationary pressures likely to push our headline measure up to 3% in the second quarter of 2000.