Brendan Howlin calls for new deal on public sector pay

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has called for negotiations on a new deal for public sector pay to begin immediately.

The former Minster for Public Expenditure and Reform said he started discussions on the Lansdowne Road Agreement well before the previous Haddington Road Agreement ceased and called on Fine Gael minister Paschal Donohoe to do the same.

He said public servants must now be presented with a clear pathway to income recovery but said “it can’t only be for those with the sharpest elbows in the public service”.