One of the country’s largest trade unions has called on the Government to take the special 9% Vat rate off the hospitality sector in the upcoming budget and invest the money gained in early childhood education.

The public service pay deal is set for overwhelming acceptance as four more unions yesterday voted to back it.

One of the country’s largest unions has voted to accept the new public service pay deal, but has warned that it expects discussions aimed at ending the two-tier pay scales currently imposed upon its members.

Impact, the largest public service union in the country, has recommended acceptance of the new public service pay agreement.

The union representing higher public servants has decided not to make a recommendation to members on the public sector pay deal.

Public service unions want talks on pay recovery in the sector to start as soon as possible after the Public Service Pay Commission “provided a good summary of the sacrifices public servants made in the years following the economic crash”.

THERE was nothing unexpected in the first report published by the Public Service Pay Commission yesterday. 

Higher civil and public servants are demanding accelerated restoration of pay after claiming they earn up to 60% less than their private sector counterparts.

Public servants have secured pay rises in the region of €2,000 over the next three years after talks with Government.

The trade union representing low-paid civil servants has warned it will pull out of next week’s pay restoration talks “like a hare from a trap” if there is no attempt to close the gap between its members and higher-paid public servants.

The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants is welcoming suggestions of pay restoration for the sector.

The Government has just published a three-year plan to overhaul the civil service which it says aims to provide a 'world-class' service.

Middle-ranking gardaí and senior civil servants have become the latest groups to vote in favour of accepting the Haddington Road Agreement on public service reform.

The only trade union to reject the Haddington Road agreement on public sector pay, Unite, is to re-ballot its members, recommending a yes vote.

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said the Government will reflect on the decisions of unions on the proposed Croke Park II Agreement.

UNITE has rejected the revised Croke Park Agreement.

There are growing fears for the future of the Croke Park deal as public sector union UNITE prepares to reveal the results of its ballot later today.

Top-ranking civil servants have rejected the proposed Croke Park II round of pay cuts.

The eight union executives which have urged their members reject the Croke Park II deal will meet officially for the first time next week to discuss a strategy to “protect existing pay rates and terms and conditions”.

The 15,000 members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland have voted overwhelmingly to reject Croke Park II.

The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants has said it has begun balloting its members on the Croke Park deal.

Government plans to save €1bn from the public service paybill under Croke Park II were given a major boost last night when the leadership of Siptu said it would be campaigning for a yes vote.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors begin a two-day meeting today to decide whether it will escalate a campaign against cuts to members’ premium payments.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation executive has decided not to issue a recommendation to its 32,000 members on whether to vote to accept or reject the €1bn in savings being sought under Croke Park II.

It may be less than one week since the Labour Relations Commission issued its recommendation on how to cut the public service pay bill by €1bn but already the deal’s survival hangs in the balance.

Trade Unions are now mulling over the revised Croke Park Agreement and making up their minds on whether they will accept or reject it.

Unions representing staff at either end of the hierarchy in the civil service are to campaign for a rejection of Croke Park II.

The government has this evening published the LRC proposal for the revised Croke Park Agreement.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has insisted a deal to cut €1bn from the public sector pay bill is fair and proportionate.

The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants will be recommending a 'No' vote in a ballot of its members on the proposed extension of the Croke Park Agreement.

The non-payment of increments to senior civil servants would save the State just €250,000, a senior trade union leader has claimed.

Senior civil servants have vowed to fight the abolition of their allowance for representing Ireland at meetings of the EU and other international organisations.

A staffing crisis is looming in the civil service because thousands of workers are nearing retirement and the Government is not doing enough to replace them.

THE prospect that the Revenue Commissioners might pursue 115,000 pensioners for back taxes — and possibly even penalties — because two arms of government have just begun to speak to each other on pensions is alarming and disheartening.

A SENIOR counsel has raised significant concerns over the “sweeping and draconian powers” which will be afforded to politicians if the public votes yes in next week’s referendum on Oireachtas inquiries.

A SENIOR civil servant has claimed the exchequer is paying €350 million a year to 30,000 widows and widowers even though the recipients don’t have dependents, are of working age and are completely free to work.

THE number of state employees dropped by the expected 2,000 in the first three months of this year, but the man charged with overseeing the reform of the public service has warned challenges remain in reaching the targeted 41,000 reduction by 2015.

General secretary of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants Dave Thomas is refusing to declare how much he is paid, although he has admitted that it is at the top end of the €60-100,000 pay bracket.

SENIOR civil servants will this afternoon debate the introduction of a scheme that would allow public servants to try out early retirement for a year — and return if they don’t like it.

DURING recent union conferences there were worrying signs that the magnitude of our crisis had not yet dawned on some public sector workers.

THE Irish Congress of Trade Unions has attacked the findings of a Department of Finance review which claims budget-making over the last 10 years was “overwhelmed” by programmes for government and social partnership.

The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) said today that the decisions and actions taken by senior members of the Department of Finance and their advice to successive Ministers for Finance over the period 2000-2010 has been largely vindicated.

The Croke Park deal on public sector pay and reform was effectively secured tonight after two of the country’s most powerful unions backed it.

The country’s nurses backed two teaching unions in rejecting the Croke Park pay deal today.