Warnings of sustained industrial action against pay cut attempts

PUBLIC sector unions have warned they will embark on a long and sustained campaign of industrial action if the Government attempts to impose pay cuts and changes in conditions without agreement.

Union leaders met in Dublin yesterday as the ICTU Public Service executive to devise a strategy to oppose the Government’s planned pay cuts of more than 5% in tomorrow’s budget.

However the unions said their actions will not take the same form as previous one-day stoppages but will be decided after “sectorial discussions” between various unions.

This could see “work to rule” campaigns launched in the new year in the health, education and civil service sectors.

IMPACT general secretary Peter McLoone admitted widespread and severe disruption to public services may be in store.

“What we have to do is prepare for a campaign that is going to be long and sustained, and that has to be different,” Mr McLoone said.

“We’re not setting out to inflict suffering on the public, but we are recognising that if there is disruption to services, that is something that the Government has to take responsibility for,” he added.

However other union sources voiced concerns about ensuring whatever actions were undertook would not increase “the government and media created” division between public and private workers.

Meanwhile, the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) said it will sanction a withdrawal of productivity equivalent to any cut to its members’ pay by the Government, and will also re-ballot them to take part in any national or education sector strike.

“If they cut our pay they can hardly expect us to continue working as though nothing had happened. I expect that IFUT members will disengage from non-core duties, particularly in the administrative area. At a time when there are more students than ever before in higher education, a combination of drastic under staffing caused by the misguided staffing embargo and the collapse of morale caused by the cut of pay seems guaranteed to do untold damage to the education system just when so many more people need it,” said IFUT general secretary Mike Jennings.