Croke Park II - A defining moment has arrived

When the very brief discussions — 30 minutes — between Government and unions around a renewed Croke Park deal ended yesterday union leaders expressed dismay and suggested that what they termed as “radical” proposals from Government would not be accepted by their members.

Such an absolute, dramatic rejection is not unusual at this stage of any negotiations but its tone confirms that this will be a difficult, fraught process. The importance of these talks, which resume today, in creating a more efficient public service that costs less in pay and pensions is absolutely central to the prospects of everyone living in this county, not just those directly involved. The importance of establishing the credibility the current arrangement lacks should not be underestimated either.

This rejection was inevitable as any successor to a deal — Croke Park I — that promised that there would be no cuts to core pay or forced redundancies would seem challenging. This is confirmed by the reaction of Impact, the union that represents over 35,000 health workers, civil servants and local government staff, which said that agreement on compulsory redundancies in the public sector would be “impossible”.