SIPTU: Report an unnecessary, unworkable ‘exercise in fantasy’

THE country’s largest trade union described the An Bord Snip Nua report as an “exercise in fantasy” which is entirely unworkable, unnecessary and downright counter-productive.

SIPTU president Jack O’Connor said the terms of reference given to Colm McCarthy’s group had focused exclusively on reducing expenditure without regard to the economic and social implications or the viability of alternative approaches.

“This is graphically highlighted in that the Government’s own projections envisage reductions of €1.5 billion in current expenditure for 2010 and the same again in 2011, whereas this report recommends an incredible €5.3bn. The Government’s targets are not achievable without the most severe measures. The recommendations of this report are entirely unworkable, unnecessary and downright counter-productive.

“The €3.8bn in social welfare, health and education cuts envisaged would dramatically impact on the standard of living of the majority of working people and the less well off in our society.

“Proposed cuts in already inadequate social welfare payments are justified by An Bord Snip Nua on the grounds that inflation has fallen and private sector wages have declined. They appear to believe that reducing social welfare will drive people back to work. This is patent nonsense when the numbers on the live register will exceed 500,000 by the end of the year.”

IMPACT trade union said the McCarthy Report should be largely ignored by the Government because it displayed no understanding of the needs of citizens or the challenges of public service delivery.

The union’s general secretary, Peter McLoone, said the report’s recommendations would mean agony for the most vulnerable in Irish society and poorer services for all citizens, yet it sought no contribution from those who caused the recession through their “greed and recklessness”.

“This report is just one of many, set apart only by its callous disregard for the people who most depend on public services. The Government would be well advised to ignore it and, instead, engage with the people who manage, deliver and use public services to find ways to maintain and increase them during the recession and beyond,” said Mr McLoone.

Before the report was published, Mr McLoone had warned IMPACT will respond with industrial action, including strikes, if the Government attempts to impose public service pay cuts, pension reductions or compulsory redundancies.

The Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) said public servants’ pay and pension arrangements were outside of the body’s remit anyway.