The head of the Irish trade union movement has today admitted that the public sector allowance system is outdated.

A senior Cabinet Minister said today that the issue of public service allowances will be re-examined, but only as part of the Croke Park deal.

The Government should delay ratification of the fiscal treaty to allow the EU time to agree on new growth measures, the country’s most senior union leader has said.

The Government’s job of selling the EU fiscal treaty has become harder after the country’s most senior trade union leader admitted that none of his colleagues supported it.

Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has insisted any cuts to public sector allowances will be made in the context of the Croke Park Agreement.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn was derided at Easter when he suggested that the depth of the economic crisis had not yet been understood by some people in the education sector.

Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary David Begg is today calling on the Government to delay the introduction of a number of changes to the State pension.

Public service strikes in the UK today are having a knock-on effect on travel here.

The latest rise in unemployment proves the Government’s policy of cuts is not working, union leaders have warned.

THE head of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has become the latest senior trade union figure to advise members of the dangers of electing Fine Gael to Government.

THE Labour Court has formally ratified the 7.5% cut in the minimum pay rates in the construction industry, a move which experts say could lead to savings of €300 million to €400m.

ALMOST 240,000 individuals in lower income families could benefit from a refundable tax credit scheme proposed to Government.

The poorest members of society will be forced in to destitution if staff in social welfare offices go on strike, it was claimed today.

MINISTER Micheál Martin has scoffed talk of disunity within the Cabinet about how €4 billion in savings will be made in Wednesday’s budget.

SENIOR trade union leaders last night claimed the Government collapsed the public sector pay talks as part of a campaign to drive down wages in order to improve competitiveness.

GARDAÍ, nurses and other frontline public servants have warned trade union leaders that they must give no concessions on allowances, overtime and other premium payments in the latest round of pay talks with the Government.

IMPACT trade union has become the first to confirm it wants a 24-hour strike by the country’s 310,000 public servants at the end of November in protest at Government plans to introduce an average of 6.5% pay cuts in the sector in the next budget.

SOCIAL partnership talks on a new economic recovery plan appeared to be floundering late last night after unions rejected demands by IBEC for a pay pause to the end of 2011 and a more employer-friendly inability to pay clause.

HUNDREDS of thousands of people will take to the streets in nationwide protests next week demanding the Government take the sole burden for economic recovery off the shoulders of ordinary workers.

The social partners are getting ready to enter a new set of intensive negotiations on cutbacks in Government spending.

THE Equality Authority has revealed the budget took away 43% of its funding, leaving it powerless to carry out a number of key functions.

Trade unions are dismissing reports that Aer Lingus plans to use American crew members on its flights to and from the US.

THE pay talks finally collapsed at about 4am on Saturday morning. For the first time in more than 20 years, since the economic nightmare of the 1980s, there is no pay agreement in place.

Thursday’s referendum enables us to empower or stall Europe’s future, writes Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

Northern Secretary Peter Hain led tributes to Progressive Unionists leader David Ervine, who died in hospital today.

Talks on a new social partnership agreement will resume at Government Buildings at 2pm on Sunday after adjourning without agreement last night.

A STINGING attack on Fianna Fáil’s past links to corruption set the tempo last night for the Green Party’s annual convention.

MARCHING past the Taoiseach’s office, SIPTU’s construction branch chanted a message not often heard in Government buildings.

TRADE union leaders said the childcare package was distinctly underwhelming and were also critical of the decision to retain tax reliefs for private hospitals.

Trade union leaders tonight accused Minister for Finance Brian Cowen of missing the big picture in his second Budget.

The creeping trend of privatisation is causing irreparable damage to the Irish health service, it was claimed today.

PRESSURE was mounting on the Irish Times last night to apologise for columnist Kevin Myers’s controversial description of single parents as “mothers of bastards”.

Tax shelters that favour the wealthy must be abolished in this week’s budget, Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary David Begg said at the weekend.

Commuters faced the prospect of crippling bus and rail stoppages tonight after one of the largest public transport unions voted to begin strike action

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday rejected a report recommending raising the age of retirement to 75 in order to stave off the pensions time-bomb.

AER RIANTA workers at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports will down tools at 2pm on Monday for a mandatory meeting to discuss the decision to break up the national airports authority.

Talks are underway between the Minister for Health and unions over cutbacks in the health services.

Thousands of Irish people will take to the streets later today in protest at the continuing war by the US and Britain on Iraq.

THE country faces a wave of bitter industrial disputes as hopes of a national wage deal were dealt a hammer blow last night.

MIDDLE and lower income families have been crippled with a barrage of stealth taxes by Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy’s Budget.

The Tanaiste Mary Harney has hinted tonight that there is limited scope for pay rises in the current partnership negotiations.

WORKERS face a pay freeze of up to a year as Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy said the boom is finally over.

UNIONS warned yesterday they were not optimistic a new national pay deal could be struck.

FINANCE Minister Charlie McCreevy has not ruled out another round of cutbacks if the economy continues to plunge in the months ahead.