Kenny: Public pay talks to begin by mid-2017

Discussions on a fresh pay deal for public sector workers could begin by the middle of next year, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has indicated to the Dáil.

As efforts continued to avert a national strike by gardaí, Mr Kenny faced criticism for his Government only now trying to tackle the issue.

He said the dispute must be resolved within the terms of the Lansdowne Road agreement on public sector pay, which lasts until September 2018. He said he hoped garda representatives would listen “carefully” to the Labour Court, which yesterday held a special hearing on the dispute.

Government figures have hinted that a fast-tracking of the successor to the Lansdowne Road deal could be an option to tackle mounting public sector pay demands.

Every effort is being made to avoid a strike, said Mr Kenny. “It is of the utmost seriousness for the country, for society, and for the members of the Garda Síochána,” he said, reminding gardaí they had taken an oath and that the Garda commissioner had called on them to turn up tomorrow.

“The commissioner has directed that gardaí would turn up for work on Friday and it is an individual matter and decision for each individual garda.”

Mr Kenny said garda representatives would now have permanent access to industrial relations mechanisms, such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court.

The Cabinet this week asked Attorney General Máire Whelan to examine how this can be legislated for in future.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said a garda strike was “dangerous” and criticised the Government for letting the dispute drag on for so long.

Rank-and-file gardaí had felt isolated for too long, he said, and the Department of Justice was “rudderless” with a number of vacancies unfilled.

Mr Kenny outlined how the new public pay commission, due to report by the mid-2017, would then feed into talks around a new pay deal. Details on spending for 2018 may be set out before then though, he said.

“When the Minister for Finance sets out his ceilings for the 2018 budget, the earlier we bring forward a situation to have a successor agreement, the earlier every state department will pull from whatever that pot might be.

“The intention is to start the discussions and negotiations about a successor to the Lansdowne Road agreement whenever both the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister for Finance are in a position to set that ceiling out.

“As we prepare for the 2018 budget, there will be the spring economic statement and the general economic conference,” said Mr Kenny.