Croke Park II on a road to nowhere
Early next year, a document will emerge from the talks between the Government and public service union leaders which begin today.
The unions will go back to their various memberships and take a ballot on how the Government plans to save an additional €1bn — on top of the €3.3bn already secured under Croke Park I — from the public service pay bill by 2015.
The document which emerged in early 2010 for the first deal initially saw seven unions vote in favour of it and seven against. What swung the overall Irish Congress of Trade Unions ballot (Ictu) in favour was the weighty endorsement by Siptu and Impact, which between them hold the lion’s share of votes on the Ictu executive.
This time around unions are expecting that any tentative deal which may emerge early next year will be even harder to sell.
One union source pointed out that workers have been living with the constraints of Croke Park I for two years now. They know the impact it has had on their lives in terms of reduced staffing numbers and changed work practices.
They also know that the oft-referred to “low hanging fruit” is long harvested. It is going to be harder for the majority to accept the weight of responsibility for even more savings, especially if the higher paid are not made to take a proportionate share of the burden.
“Members are tired of being balloted for measures which will take more from them,” said the source.
Today the first step for unions will be to seek a rationale for the need for a further billion in savings. Unions believe the Government may not even get to the point of issuing its wishlist.
In fact before the talks even begin, the Civil Public and Services Union has said it has outstanding issues to raise with the Government on issues from Croke Park I.
“These include the commitment in the agreement to examine a restoration of pay on the first €35,000 where significant savings had been made, an unfair realignment of annual leave, and privilege days and removal of bank time, redeployment, and transfer issues and the protocols yet to be agreed on changes in sick leave amongst others,” said the union.
When the whys and wherefores are out of the way, it will be up to the unions to decide whether or not to even enter negotiations.
It is understood that some unions are already considering a boycott of a full talks process which is likely to begin just after Christmas.
There is a danger in that, however. Unions are pragmatic as to the consequences they face if the €1bn is not reached.
Cuts in core pay are only protected as long as the unions remain signed up to the process. If the Government does not attain the €1bn through that process it will find the money by whatever means necessary.
Nonetheless, that is not to say unions will roll over to have their bellies scratched.
They have stressed that there must be “fairness” in the way the savings are shared among the workforce and primarily that the low and middle-income workers are not forced to take a disproportionate hit.
That would be almost impossible if the Government were to demand a cut to increments. Almost 75% of the staff who receive pay increments earn less than €50,000. The payments are likely to be raised in the talks but the consensus is that they will not figure with any prominence in any final agreement, not least since Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin has already signalled that they are considered to be part of core pay.
Instead sources believe that working time is going to play a major role, if not the central plank, of the Government’s shopping list, not least since longer hours have already been sought both in the health service and the local authorities.
It is an area which the sides could actively engage upon. Longer working weeks have the potential to cut not only the need for so many public service staff but also the need for the use of expensive agency staff, particularly in the health service.
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