Howlin wants 'significant additional pay savings' in new deal

The Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin has said the Government wants significant additional public sector pay savings.

Mr Howlin has issued an invite to trade unions today to talks on extending the Croke Park Agreement beyond 2013.

The Public Services Committee of ICTU is to meet tomorrow afternoon in Dublin to consider the invitation.

Minister Howlin has said more savings can be achieved without having to cut core pay and avoiding compulsory redundancies.

He said: "I think that they (the unions), by and large, will not resist an extension to the current agreement. They will want to bring things to the table.

"But the two things I want most of all are significant additional pay savings and I want to do that through additional productivity, more hours worked.

"But I want to protect core pay and I want to not make public servants compulsorily redundant."