Both sides end up losing out in a pay war that divided a nation

HAS the Government finally seen sense or has it scuppered a golden opportunity to finally transform a bloated public service?

While that will be the debate that will animate the pro and anti public service lobbies in the coming days, some might say an amalgam of the two reactions is the most appropriate.

What was at stake for public sector workers in these talks was a straight pay cut of up to 6.8% across the board versus a cut of as little as 4.6% and 12 days of unpaid holidays.