Irish pay deal - Nurses' union says No, Siptu says Yes‏

The pay and public services reform deal brokered between the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Irish government is in jeopardy following yesterday’s decision of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) to recommend rejection in the ballot of its 40,000 members.

INMO General Secretary Liam Doran said that far from guaranteeing no further pay cuts, the deal allowed for the Government to reduce pay in the event of staff failing to accept or implement what he called the “fundamentally flawed” proposals for the health service. He said that acceptance of the deal would have involved members signing up to all aspects of Government policy, including the current moratorium on recruitment.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0414/1224268308610.html

INMO is the sixth ICTU affiliate to reject the deal.

However, the NEC of Siptu - Ireland’s largest union - yesterday agreed to recommend the deal in the ballot of its 70,000 public sector membership which will be held next month. In a detailed statement the executive concluded that “the balance of advantage rests with acceptance” of the deal but said that the proposals would benefit from clarification in a number of respects.
http://www.siptu.ie/bulletin/pdf/1271180195NECStatement.pdf