First public sector pay report: Expectations may surpass possibilities

THERE was nothing unexpected in the first report published by the Public Service Pay Commission yesterday. 

However, that does not mean its recommendations will be accepted by the unions or implemented by the Government, especially one that might have to go to the country at any moment.

The fractured nature of the Dáil, the administration’s dependence on support from such a wide range of interests, means it may not have the confidence, or, more importantly, the belief needed to try to resolve these matters in a way that is fair to public workers as well as the rest of society.