Unions: Mulvey will struggle to find agreement on cuts

The head of the Labour Relations Commission will struggle to find any basis for a new agreement with unions that will yield a €1bn cut in the public service pay bill, informed sources believe.

The Government yesterday reiterated that €300m must be cut from the pay bill by the end of this year, and €1bn by 2015.

It also confirmed it had asked LRC chief executive Kieran Mulvey “to establish whether or not there is a basis for a negotiated agreement to meet these budgetary targets”.