IMPACT approves public sector pay deal

Impact, the country’s largest public sector trade union, has overwhelmingly backed the Croke Park deal, it was confirmed today.

Despite the strong support, Shay Cody, the union’s general secretary designate, said he believed workers had yet to be convinced of management’s ability to deliver better public services.

“The union now has a strong mandate to operate this agreement in the interests of public services, the people who depend on them, and the Impact members who deliver them,” he said.

“It has not been easy to achieve this agreement, and the months and years ahead will be equally challenging.”

The union’s members, who had been expected to support the pact on pay and reform, voted three to one in favour.

In a letter sent to Impact branches this afternoon, Mr Cody said: “Inertia is now the biggest challenge facing public service reform and people who use and deliver public services need to see early evidence that this agreement is going to deliver for them.

“We need an indication from Government that it will challenge senior public service managers and require them to start acting now to work the agreement, deliver real reforms, and involve staff and unions from the very beginning as they are required to under this deal.

“The Taoiseach should begin by calling all the key public service management players together, with staff representatives, to set out how the reforms are going to be driven and staff involved.”

Impact has also suspended industrial action.