SIPTU vote could derail budget plan

THE national wage agreement which the Government hoped would give certainty to its public service pay bill in today’s budget, looked far from certain to being ratified by the country’s biggest trade union.

If SIPTU does not vote in favour of the national wage agreement, it is likely to collapse. If the union rejects the 21-month deal with 6% pay increases following three and 11-month pay pauses in the public and private sectors respectively, this means the figures upon which the Government is basing its exchequer expenditure are no longer reliable.

At a special delegate conference yesterday, the union was clearly divided.