Public pay: Ivana Bacik says Government must take action to avoid 'Defcon 1'

Labour leader attacks Government's 'inaction' on public pay, while Social Democrats leader highlights 'chaos' in criminal courts due to the new legal aid fee system

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the public pay imbroglio had arisen due to 'political choices made by the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over the last decade'. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins

The Government has been called on to take substantive action to avoid a "Defcon 1" scenario of public sector strike action.

Members of the opposition have strongly hit out at the Government's "inaction" in relation to a new public sector pay deal, which has led union Siptu to launch nationwide workplace consultations in preparation for strike ballots involving tens of thousands of members.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said it is "astonishing" to see the Government’s inaction on pay talks and said a move towards industrial action is one "that nobody wants to take, but public servants need to be able to make ends meet.

"This is Defcon 1," she said, referring to the most urgent state of nuclear readiness used by the US military.

Calling on public expenditure minister Jack Chambers to "respond and to do so substantively", she told the Dáil that he had already described the unions’ course of action as a surprise.

"Most people will be surprised by the minister's surprise because, thanks to the political choices made by the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over the last decade, Ireland was already expensive before now and lacking in quality public services."

Describing the characterisation as "unfair", Mr Chambers said the Government has been clear that it wants to have a new pay agreement. He said:

I say to every public servant listening today: We want to ensure they are paid fairly, equitably, and are given a fair deal in the context of a new pay agreement. 

Our record on that is absolutely the case over the last number of years, and nothing has changed in that regard. We want to see the public service unions engage. I think potentially balloting for strike action is unnecessary when we are a Government willing to engage with them."

Also raising the issue, Cork North Central TD Ken O'Flynn hit out at the delay in starting negotiations, adding that "if I ran my businesses in the same way as these negotiations, I'd probably be out of business".

"We should have been at the negotiation tables six months ago to ensure there wouldn't be strikes," he said.

'Chaos' in criminal courts 

Separately, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns raised serious concerns about "chaos in the criminal courts" this week as hundreds of solicitors have withdrawn their services for legal aid in protest against a new fees system.

"Thousands of cases have already been adjourned, not just in the District Court but in the Circuit Court and the Central Criminal Court, where the most serious crimes are prosecuted," she said.
"Yesterday, at the Central Criminal Court, 12 rape cases were listed. Of that number, just two trials were able to start, and that is only because the defendants in those two cases were minors and solicitors have not withdrawn their services in cases involving children. 

All the other cases were adjourned. This is an absolute disaster.

Responding, Mr Chambers said justice minister Jim O'Callaghan has introduced an 8% increase in criminal legal aid fees payable to solicitors in the Circuit Court and higher courts, which represents total restoration of the criminal legal aid fees under the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI.

"The minister has also introduced a fee of €520 for District Court criminal cases under the criminal legal aid scheme. This figure represents the current fee paid for five appearances in the District Court plus an 8% increase," he said.

Elaine Loughlin, Political Editor