Howlin rejects Varadkar’s compulsory redundancies call

Suggestions by Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar that any follow-up deal to the Croke Park Agreement must include compulsory redundancies in the public sector were shot down by ministerial colleague Brendan Howlin yesterday.

Mr Varadkar, speaking in Gdansk where he was watching the Ireland-Spain Euro 2012 match last night in his capacity as sports minister, said the current Croke Park deal would end next year and talks needed to begin on the next agreement.

Speaking on the Today with Pat Kenny programme on RTÉ radio, Mr Varadkar said: “There are very few promotion opportunities for people who are good, and that’s a problem.