The protracted dispute between public service unions and the Irish Government has led to a proposed national agreement on pay and structural reform between the public service committee of the Irish Congress of the Trade Unions (ICTU) and Government.
The draft deal - which follows a faltering campaign of low level industrial action in opposition to imposed pay cuts and a pensions levy - has been met with immediate opposition from some civil service and teaching unions.
Yesterday ICTU issued a statement describing the proposed agreement as “the best approach to protecting public services and the people who deliver them that could be achieved through such negotiations..... public servants will see some certainty over their pay, jobs and pensions, with the prospect of restoring pay cuts over time as reforms deliver verified savings.”
ICTU affiliates will consult on the deal over the next 6 weeks before a final decision is made at national level.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0402/1224267553006.html
