Sides agree to talks in public sector crisis

BREAKTHROUGH talks between the Government and union leaders last night saw hopes of averting a wave of major strike action across schools and hospitals rise significantly.

Both sides agreed to set up negotiations on bringing in widescale reform of the public service overseen by two independent experts tasked with hammering out a lasting deal.

Top level discussions, which saw the Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan and Green leader John Gormley, sit down with Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) chiefs, ended with an agreement to put all contentious issues – including the swingeing cuts in public sector pay – up for consideration with fresh talks beginning today.

The move came after ICTU raised the stakes in its trench warfare with the Government by announcing plans for strikes set to cripple schools, hospitals and the courts.

However, public sector unions made it clear they will not suspend the threat of that industrial action – set to be rolled out in the coming weeks – but the talks will delay any escalation as ICTU considers the talks breakthrough as “significant”.

“It’s better to have negotiation rather than confrontation to find a solution,” said a spokesperson for SIPTU.

Bitterness between the two sides remains following clashes in December when union chiefs accused ministers of backing away from a deal at the last minute.

The Government has made it clear they will stand firm on the pay cuts already imposed on public sector workers, but unions insisted the issue of reversing wage reductions must remain on the table.

The formula for the talks has been kept deliberately vague in order to allow both sides to return to the negotiating table without appearing to surrender ground.

Public sector workers have been staging walkouts and low-level non-cooperation actions in a bid to put pressure on the Government. However, the planned upsurge in actions threatened to shut schools for half and full days, as well as disrupt hospitals and even see gardaí refuse to use their own mobile phones and laptops in the course of their work.

The Taoiseach, who invited union leaders to the talks, stressed tboth sides “shared a sense of urgency” and had agreed to invite Kieran Mulvey and Kevin Foley of the Labour Relations Commission to act as facilitators to try and get a deal on public sector reform.

The two “facilitators” are expected to push a fast-track agenda for a comprehensive deal.

“While appointed in a personal capacity, the facilitators will draw on the resources of the Labour Relations Commission to support their work,” a Government statement said.