THE LABOUR Relations Commission (LRC) is to take an initiative to prevent disruptions caused by public service unions stepping up campaigns against changes to terms and conditions.
Chief executive of the LRC Kieran Mulvey said last night that the commission was keen to get involved with the public service unions and with public service management to review issues that have led to dispute.
Mr Mulvey’s comments came on the eve of public sector unions escalating protests in opposition to pay cuts announced in the budget. They also come after industrial action by air traffic controllers forced flights in and out of Ireland to be cancelled for four hours last week.
“We are effectively playing by no rules and that is my concern and that is the concern I think the commission has at the moment,” Mr Mulvey said on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics last night.
“Will we spend the next 12 months . . . literally as a boxing referee between employers and trade unions while they punch themselves to death over 15 rounds? That is not our function. Our function is to settle disputes. I am not prepared to allow the resources of the commission to be used over the next 12 months . . . literally standing by, just being a referee,” he said.
“We have to be more pro-active on this, ourselves and the Labour Court, in the context of avoiding and preventing the kind of incident that occurred this week.”
On the same television programme, Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment Mary Coughlan said she could not give an assurance there would be no further pay cuts in 2010: “We are not in a position to do any of those things in the context of having to realise three billion of further savings, give or take, next year.”
Thousands of members of Impact – drawn from the HSE, Government departments and local government – are due to take action from today, as are members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. The actions for both unions will involve work to rule and refusals to carry out duties associated with vacant posts in protest at pay cuts. More unions are expected to join the protest in the coming weeks.
Asked for his opinion on the potential impact of planned industrial action, Mr Mulvey said: “I think within a very short period we would end up with gridlock in this State if all the services were to activate their action in a build-up over the next number of months.”
He was also critical of proposals by the Department of Finance to withdraw services they provide to trade unions. “ ‘When you are in a hole stop digging’, is an adage we use. To start that kind of activity against the background of industrial action is in my opinion adding fuel to the fire.”
Mr Mulvey added he would be “very nervous” of legislation that would seek to ban strikes in essential services.
Ms Coughlan said the LRC had indicated it was willing to have initial discussions with both parties.
“It it is not just now that we have to deal with the issue of public service pay, conditions and work practices . . . we have another two budgets to get through.”
Fine Gael spokesman on enterprise, trade and employment Leo Varadkar said the Government should assure public servants on pay cuts. “They won’t give that assurance. I think that would help to calm nerves quite a lot.”
Ms Coughlan responded: “We are not in a position to do any of those things in the context of having to realise three billion of further savings, give or take, next year.” On the issue of the €8.65 minimum wage, the Tánaiste said: “That matter is presently with the Labour Court . . . I cannot pre-empt what they are going to say because I will have to be independent in the decision that I will make.”
Separately, Siptu is picketing the VHI headquarters in Dublin today in protest against pay cuts in the private hospital sector.
The Mount Carmel, Mater Private and Bon Secours hospital groups have cut rates and allowances. Protesters are seeking clarification from the VHI that it has cut its funding to the hospitals.