Unions believe talks on public pay deal will end on Wednesday

Unions believe that talks on a new public service pay agreement will probably end next Wednesday.

However there is still considerable disagreement between the Government and trade unions on key non-pay issues such as outsourcing and Saturday working .

Government and union negotiators are expected to begin talks in earnest on Tuesday on the highly controversial issues of pay and pensions which have largely been avoided up to now.

The Government has maintained that the fiscal space available next year for dealing with public service pay, as well as other issues , would be limited to about €200 million.

Dublin City University unveils over 50 gender neutral bathrooms

---

Austerity era cuts must be reversed, says Traveller activist

---

Mother defends moving family out of ‘isolated’ house to sleep in car

---

Leo Varadkar ‘honoured’ to be elected Fine Gael leader

---

Talks on Friday centred on non-pay issues and ended without any breakthrough on Government proposals to relax existing rules on the outsourcing of public services which unions have ruled out completely.

It is understood in a revised draft document tabled on Friday the Government again proposed that projects valued at up to €10 million should be exempt from existing restrictions on outsourcing of services.

In addition the Government again proposed dropping current rules under which labour costs cannot be included in any business case to out-source an existing public service

Unions are also unhappy at Government proposals that there should be talks on options for incorporating Saturday as part of the normal working week which would commence immediately and conclude by the end of 2017.

Government representatives are expected to formally table proposals on pay and pensions on Tuesday.

The Government has indicated that while it is prepared to roll back the existing public service pension levy, which currently averages about 5 per cent , it also wants certain groups of public service personnel to contribute more for their existing pension arrangements.

This could particularly affect staff who were employed prior to 2013 when a revised pension scheme was introduced and to groups such as gardai, judges and military personnel who accrue pension benefits at a faster rate than most others.

The public service pension levy was introduced as an emergency measure in 2009and currently generates about €700 million for the exchequer. It is understood the Government is keen to retain a significant amount of this revenue.

In a blog to members on Friday Tom Geraghty of the Public Service Executive Union suggested the odds on a deal being reached were lengthening.

He added: “It might be best not to enter into any financial commitments based on expectation about the outcome.”

Mr Geraghty said €200 million in available resources for 2018 “may sound like a lot, but spread over more than 300,000 public servants, the effect in 2018 is, potentially, very low”.

“For example, even if union negotiators secured €150m of that money, (which would in other circumstances be seen as no mean achievement), spread over more than 300,000 people, the effect would be less than €500 or so per person, or roughly, a one percent increase on average.”

“So, that is a problem to be overcome. However, it is not as if 2019 and 2020 promise a bonanza on a scale such as to alleviate all concerns for 2018. The situation in those years is substantially better but there is no equivalent of a lottery win.”