Protect workers under Croke Park II: unions

Public service unions have warned the Government that they will struggle to sell further cuts to any part of members’ pay to their members under Croke Park II.

As expected, at the first meeting between the two sides to discuss how to achieve a further €1bn in savings by 2015, the Government stopped short of outlining how those saving would be achieved.

Instead, officials explained the rationale for seeking the extra savings on top of the €3.3bn due to emerge from the first Croke Park Agreement.

Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation general secretary Liam Doran said unions had stressed to the Government side that Croke Park protects all elements of pay that staff receive.

It has been speculated that, even though the Government has said core pay will remain protected under the new deal, allowances and increments will be up for discussion. Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has indicated that increments are considered to be part of core pay.

Mr Doran told RTÉ’s Drivetime his union’s members were low and middle-income earners, and they had more than contributed their fair share “with pension levies, pay cuts, staff reductions, changed rosters, increased flexibility, and they have nothing more left to give”.

“As a result, these negotiations, whenever they get started once unions have completed their internal consolation, they will be extremely difficult and there can be no certainty that an agreement will emerge.”

It is being speculated that labour relations court chief executive Kieran Mulvey and his colleague Kevin Foley will be asked to facilitate the talks process likely to begin in earnest once next week’s budget and the Christmas holidays are over.

The Government is keen to have a deal in place as early as possible in the new year as it hopes to start making additional savings before the end of 2013.