SIPTU offers lifeline to ailing pay deal

THE Croke Park agreement on public service pay and reform, which looked set for collapse, was given a potentially life-saving boost last night by the decision of SIPTU leaders to back the deal.

Yesterday morning the deal had suffered a further blow when the executive of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) unanimously recommended rejection to its 40,000 members. That decision meant leaders of unions representing 147,000 of the country’s 300,000 public servants had either said they could not recommend or were recommending rejection of the measures to their members.

However, last night after almost four hours of deliberations, SIPTU said “the balance of advantage” rested with recommending acceptance to its 70,000 members. That brings to 113,000 the combined memberships of the unions which have decided to urge their members in ballots to back the deal hammered out two weeks ago.