Frontline workers condemn pay deal

Frontline workers tonight vowed to step up their campaign against the €1bn state pay deal.

The 24/7 Frontline Services Alliance, which represents gardai, nurses, paramedics and firefighters, has said the agreement is grossly unfair, inequitable, and seeks to take money from low and middle income public servants.

The organisation plans to start a nationwide campaign of opposition that includes forming a wider group with other unions and staging public meetings around the country.

“These steps will be taken in addition to actions being taken by individual members of the 24/7 Frontline Service Alliance to protest at the impact of the proposed cuts,” it added after the executive council met at Croke Park.

Despite opposition to the deal intensifying, Taoiseach Enda Kenny earlier said cutting the public sector pay bill by €1bn is absolutely fair and would be another big step to economic recovery.

“In the context of the additional three billion euro in spending cuts required by 2015, this contribution from payroll is absolutely fair,” he said.

“Implementing these savings by agreement with public service staff would be another big step on the road to economic recovery, and would send out a signal to the world that the Irish people are determined to fix our economic problems and restore the country to prosperity and full employment.”

Mr Kenny said the €1bn pay cuts are fair as the public sector wage bill accounts for 35% of total public spending.

He made his call as the Civil and Public Service Union, the largest union in the government sector, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, the Irish Federation of University Teachers and Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisations (INMO) became the latest to voice opposition.

The INMO called on its members to reject the pay deal, which it said was unbalanced, unfair and was hostile towards female workers, turning back the clock on family friendly measures negotiated over the past two decades.

Liam Doran, INMO general secretary, said: “They reaffirmed their belief that the proposals were unbalanced, unfair, disproportionate upon shift workers and we ask our members to reaffirm that in a very strong vote.”

However Impact, the country’s largest public service union, said its executive has “overwhelmingly” recommended that its members accept the deal.

Shay Cody, the union’s general secretary, insisted the agreement was the best that could be achieved.

“The package will result in loss of income for a proportion of public servants, and changes in conditions for many more,” he said.

“But faced with management’s determination to make €1bn euro additional cuts to the pay bill – by agreement or by legislation – our task is to minimise the adverse effects on our members and the services they provide.

“By negotiating, Impact and other unions have succeeded in reducing the severity of management proposals in every important area, and it is likely that deeper cuts will be imposed if this package is rejected.”

Impact will start balloting its members during the last week of March. It expects to have finished voting by the middle of April.