National pay talks - Taxpayers entitled to proper service
Despite having expressed pessimism earlier this week in the Dáil about a possible outcome, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was a little more buoyant in advance of his attendance at the IMPACT conference yesterday.
He adverted to the benefits that would accrue across wide-ranging social and economic areas with the advent of another agreement. That is to state the obvious, because the advantages of such agreements are there to be evidenced at first hand.
Undoubtedly, the concept of national pay agreements and social partnership has proven to be a winning formula and it would, in any case, be utterly detrimental to the economy to fix something which is not broken.
After almost two decades of having a national pay deal factored into the country’s economic well-being, it would be ludicrous if it were now to be abandoned.
Because conditions, such as the economy and industrial relations, develop and change in the intervening period, it is important to conclude a new agreement which is appropriate to the time.
Even though there is a considerable divergence between employers and the trade unions, certainly over pay and some non-pay issues, it is hardly beyond their capacity to reach a realistic compromise, as the sides have done before.
What has to be borne in mind, is the fact that no matter how far apart both sides may now be, whatever separates them is not insurmountable.
Already, as the Taoiseach pointed out, agreement is close on a major package of measures in relation to the protection of employment standards.
This issue had been a major one for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), especially in the aftermath of the Irish Ferries episode, but it is apparently about to be resolved.
The pay component will, certainly, be a major hurdle because while the unions lean towards a shorter two-year period in which to keep sight of inflation, the employers have opted for a year longer.
Inflation will be the touchstone which the unions have already invoked and while currently running at 3.8%, is indicative of the target and beyond which they intend to pursue.
One of the concerns of employer body IBEC is to ensure that whatever pay increase is eventually agreed, takes seriously on board the question of competitiveness.
Trying to reconcile what may, or may not, be considered a fair pay increase within the constraints trying to corral it, remains to be seen, but it must be accepted that any rise is already chasing an expensive cost of living.
Given that he was addressing the IMPACT conference, the largest public sector union in the country, it was appropriate that Mr Ahern should refer to the public service and the quality expected of it.
He emphasised that any new social partnership agreement must give a new impetus to the modernisation of the public service.
The taxpayer is paying for the service, and is entitled to get a proper and efficient one.
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