Howlin hopes talks will yield €300m

Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin said he is confident that the latest round of Croke Park talks will yield the anticipated €300m savings sought by the Government.

With concern growing that the €300m figure will not be met, the minister warned that cash savings and reform was his “intention throughout” and “my instruction to the negotiators”.

“We are confident we will make cash savings and will have an even better reform agenda,” he said.

LRC chief executive, Kieran Mulvey said that the LRC had “been careful to stay on track with the numbers set out”.

It’s understood that Mr Mulvey showed the individual unions government legislation, which includes a sweeping pay cut and a freeze on increments, that will be implemented unless they sign up to a new pay deal.

The legislation was approved by the Cabinet yesterday and will be published tomorrow.

All the individual sectoral documents drawn up by the LRC and unions weren’t ready last evening. However as soon as they have been completed, they will be brought to the union executives.

If the savings outlined in these documents don’t add up to €300m, it’s unclear what the impact on the country’s finances will be.

The Department of Education refused to say last night if any possible gap between the original Croke Park II and the one now being considered would have to be added to the €44m Education Minister Ruairi Quinn already needs to cut from his budget next year.

The proposals finalised by the LRC in talks with teacher unions early yesterday morning includes a number of concessions, such as a 25% cut instead of a complete axing of pay for marking third level exams and concessions to schools on the circumstances in which the department will provide substitution cover for teacher absences.

Mr Howlin appealed to public sector workers to back the agreement, struck following weeks of “difficult and long” discussions.

“I hope if we get an agreement that we will be able to give the same guarantees we’ve given to workers in the public sector to date that there will be no compulsory redundancy,” said Mr Howlin.

“But that’s contingent on people signing up to the deal.”