Tuesday, November 17, 2009
UNIONS will close schools and shut down hospital services for at least a further day after next week’s strike, unless the Government offers guarantees on their members’ pay.
The first 24-hour strike is due to halt public services a week from today.
Yesterday, the chairman of the public services committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) confirmed at least one more day of action could take place before budget day on December 9, unless the Government engages seriously on an alternative to cutting pay and imposing compulsory redundancies in order to reduce the €20bn public service pay bill by €1.3bn in 2010.
Unions have said they will not even discuss those cuts until the Government gives them a definitive blueprint of what it wants the shape and size of the public service to be by 2013.
However, while the request for that crucial document was made by the unions almost two weeks ago, Government sources could only say last night it will be presenting the information "shortly".
"We have not decided on the form and nature (of the new action) but, given that we are starting with a one-day stoppage on November 24, I don’t think any further action will be any less than that. We want to avoid going on indefinite strikes because that would be hard to manage. We will decide later in the week on the form," said Peter McLoone.
To date more than 150,000 public service workers have voted to take part in next Tuesday’s stoppage and yesterday a further 9,000 staff, including 3,000 senior civil service managers, joined ranks.
The managers, members of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, voted 60% in favour of participation in the one-day strike.
While that percentage is lower than the ballot in favour in other unions who have backed the strike, it is significant because, as late as last March the AHCPS membership voted 60% against a strike in protest at the introduction of the pension levy.
Welcoming the result, AHCPS general secretary Dave Thomas said it demonstrated members’ opposition to the Government’s "narrow focus on cutting civil service pay to remedy the difficulties with the public finances".
Mr Thomas said this was happening at a time when AHCPS members have already had to endure an effective pay cut of up to 17% through the introduction of income and pension levies.
"We recognise the difficult situation the country is in, but we feel an inordinate burden is being placed on us and fellow public sector employees and our families."
Also yesterday, Unite trade union, which has 6,000 members in the public sector, voted by more than 80% in favour of strike action.
These latest results follow ballots in favour of the 24-hour stoppage by 65,000 members of the teaching unions, 55,000 members of IMPACT trade union and 40,000 nurses.
A number of other unions either already have mandates from previous ballots or are due to complete ballots in the coming days. SIPTU is still balloting its members generally for a mandate for strike or industrial action which will include next week’s strike.
The result is due to be made public in the next 24 hours and is almost certain to be in favour of stoppages.
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