Conclusions based on ‘myth’

THE Irish Congress of Trade Unions Public Services Committee laid the blame for yesterday’s almost non-existent increases for the majority of public sector workers on two key decisions it said were based on a “myth”.

Its chair, Peter McLoone, said the first reaction of most public servants would be disappointment, and many would inevitably be angry.

“Even on an initial reading of the report it is clear that its conclusion — that most public servants should receive zero — has been shaped by two benchmarking body decisions: one to change its methodology from that used in the first exercise and, two, to impose a much higher premium on pensions than was used in the first exercise,” said Mr McLoone, who is also general secretary of the IMPACT trade union.

By change of methodology he was referring to the way the benchmarking body used a weighted average to estimate private sector pay, the measure against which public sector increases are compared to estimate the benchmarking increases. Unions claim that drove down the average pay for private sector workers and their public sector counterparts.

“The ICTU Public Services Committee accepts that any increases recommended by the body must be supported by the evidence in its surveys of public and private sector pay and benefits,” said Mr McLoone. “However, it is inevitable that public servants will conclude that its decision to change its approach was influenced by relentless criticism of the first report and of the benchmarking process itself. This despite the fact that one of the main criticisms, the myth that public servants earn 40% more than private sector workers, is utterly dismissed by the body report itself.”