Unions: It’s all about slashing, not reform

TRADE union reaction to the public service plan was largely negative last night with IMPACT, the largest union in the sector, claiming it would result only in job cuts, not reform.

The union said the setting up of the expert group to identify inefficiencies in the sector was driven purely by the need to cut costs because of the recession rather than any desire to improve services.

“There is very little fat to cut,” said spokesman Bernard Harbor. “No doubt there is some scope for savings and redeployment to meet changing priorities, but large-scale redundancies will hurt services and the people and communities that need them.”

He said the plan offered little in the way of innovation. “Public servants have no fear of real reform that will genuinely improve the level and quality of services but most of today’s recommendations — focused on senior management structures, performance management systems, targets and the organisation of back-of-house services with a hint of privatisation thrown in — are effectively more of the same approach we’ve had for the last decade.”

David Begg, head of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, echoed those concerns.

“People will be looking to see reductions in the quality of public services in the future realistically. That seems to be on the agenda if the cuts are implemented.”

Business groups were split in their reaction. Employers’ body, IBEC, welcomed it as a “new direction” for the public sector and urged its immediate implementation.

“Most private sector enterprises are taking tough measures to keep afloat in a severely competitive environment,” said director general Turlough O’Sullivan.

“Most public servants want to see reform and want to provide a quality service to the public. They also see that the country simply cannot afford the cost of the present public sector pay bill.”

However, Irish Small and Medium Enterprise (ISME) said the plan was “limp, long on jargon and short on specifics”.

“ISME is bitterly disappointed but not surprised at the contents, which fall far short of addressing badly needed public sector reform,” said chief executive Mark Fielding.