CPSU union urges rejection of new pay deal

The union representing lower-paid civil servants is to recommend that they reject the proposed new Haddington Road agreement on public service pay in a forthcoming ballot.

However the union representing nurses and midwives, which was at the centre of the campaign against the rejected Croke Park II agreement, is to recommend to members that they support the new proposals.

The exective of the Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU) said following a meeting today that the new proposals represented more of a “tweaking “ of the proposals rejected by members of the union last month rather than a substantial roll-back by the Government.

The executive council of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said acceptance of the Haddington Road proposals was in the best medium to long term interests of the membership.

It is understood that the CPSU executive was unhappy at the requirement under the new proposals for members to work an extra 2.25 hours per week and the provision for three-month increment freeze.

The CPSU said the failure of the new proposals to address the additional hours and the ‘banking’ of those hours to do away with overtime was seen as a major impediment to any positive recommendation.

The union said its executive would meet next week to agree the ballot paper to be sent to members on June 10th.

It said the ballot paper would set out detailed pros and cons for voting “Yes” or “No” to the draft agreement. It said specifically the ballot would illustrate in clear terms for members the implications of voting either way in the context of new legislation the Government plans to introduce. This would allow the Government to impose cuts on unions that voted against the proposed new agreement.

The executive council of the INMO said it noted “the range of improvements” in the new Haddington Road proposals which mitigated what it described as the disproportionate and discriminatory elements contained in the earlier Croke Park II proposals which were rejected by members of the union last month.

The INMO executive council also said it realised that the Government’s insistence on increasing the working week for nurses and midwives and introducing an optional graduate programme would “ continue to be a source of frustration to members”.

INMO general secretary Liam Doran said: "This was a very difficult decision for my executive council to make but the choices are very stark. The improvements secured, following the rejection of previous proposals, are significant and fully justified the successful campaign for a 'No' vote in April."

“The executive council feels these are the best set of proposals, which can be obtained through negotiation, and much better than the Government’s alternative draconian legislation”.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said he welcomed the decision by the IMNO executive to urge acceptance of the new proposals.

“With regard to the decision by the CPSU, I am glad that members are being given the chance to decide and hope that members consider carefully the implications of their vote.”

Two other public service unions, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) have both effectively rejected the proposed new Haddington Road deal.

Neither union are currently planning to ballot their members on the new proposals which weredrawn up at the Labour Relations Commission last week.

Under the legislation, members of the CPSU, if they reject the proposals in a ballot, would have incremental pay increases withheld. They would also lose the protections of the original Croke Park agreement in relation to security of tenure of employment.