Flexible redeployment ‘critical’

FLEXIBLE redeployment of staff will be “critical” to the maintenance of public services as tens of thousands of jobs are cut.

The statement is contained in the latest review of the Croke Park Agreement — the deal between the Government and unions on public service pay and reform.

The agreement pledges no further pay cuts and no compulsory redundancies up to 2014 in return for public servants co-operating with reforms to produce savings.

Although there is a break clause in the agreement, the Government has committed to honouring the agreement and is showing no signs of reneging on it.

While the Coalition confirmed yesterday that it would seek to shrink the numbers in the public service to 282,500 by 2015 — a reduction of 23,500 on end-2010 levels — this will be through retirements and voluntary departures and the non-replacement of those who leave.

The latest six-monthly review of Croke Park was released in tandem with the Government’s public service reform proposals yesterday.

The review, carried out by the body of public service managers and trade union leaders tasked with overseeing the agreement, said the proposed reduction in staff numbers was on track.

“The figures confirm that the public service as a whole remains on track to achieve the end-2011 target for numbers of 301,000,” it said.

The body also noted that “further significant departures” were expected from the service before the end of February, when reduced pension arrangements take effect.