British cutbacks - Public sector reform must show results

British plans to cut 490,000 public sector jobs as part a programme of sweeping spending cuts should be a warning to the public sector in this country, where we have often looked to the welfare state pioneered in Britain as a model to be emulated.

The main unions, IMPACT and SIPTU, secured widespread support for the Croke Park deal, which was negotiated by senior trade union officials and Government trouble-shooters earlier this year. It set out plans for a pay freeze until 2014 in order to avoid compulsory redundancies, but it put an onus on the public sector of securing reforms that would cut costs.

Over the past couple of years, there have been horror stories of enormous bureaucratic waste and extravagance. If such abuses were eradicated, savings could be used to protect jobs and ensure that the pain that will have to be endured by all segments of society could be minimised.

Everybody is going to have to carry a share of the burden. There is, of course, natural scepticism that the Government seems ready to go to extraordinary lengths to bolster the bankers and speculators, who have been largely responsible for the current mess.

There is also a general perception that the public sector is protected too much. Such protection is natural, because we all rely heavily on public bodies. They form the framework of our society.

They are at the forefront of delivering services to the people, but it is incumbent on them now also to deliver on the promises made at Croke Park to bring about reforms that would provide savings. It is in everybody’s interest that such savings should be verifiable and obvious. The public sector must demonstrate publicly and clearly that the deal is delivering savings.

Many people – such as doctors, nurses, and teachers – become involved in the public sector out of a sense of vocation and even patriotic duty. This is a highly commendable aspect of the public service that is often overlooked, but it should not be taken for granted.

Union officials have been insisting that management must show that the Croke Park deal is working. It is not just incumbent on management but on the whole sector – frontline workers, unions and management – to work in harmony to demonstrate that the deal is effective. They have been eyeing one another suspiciously, apparently ready to blame each other if the deal collapses, but they are all in the same boat now and should recognise their interdependence.

Each should be demanding that all do their part in securing the necessary reforms. If there are not obvious reforms, people will inevitably demand that the Croke Park deal be scrapped.

People should be mindful of the industrial axiom, “what gets measured gets done.” In other words, it is necessary to see results. If results are not apparent, the private sector, which ultimately funds the public sector, will undoubtedly insist on the kind of cuts currently being introduced in Britain.