THE LEADER of the State’s largest public sector union has said the Government is facing “a potentially explosive situation” following the introduction of pay cuts in the Budget for staff on the State payroll.
Peter McLoone, general secretary of Impact and chairman of the public services committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu), said trust had effectively broken down between unions and the Government and that there was no basis upon which they would be able to go back into talks in the short term.
Mr McLoone told RTÉ Radio 1's This Weekshow yesterday he could not rule out all-out strikes, as the reaction from members to the pay cuts was very strong.
He also again indicated that public sector workers would no longer be prepared to engage with the Government on reforms along the lines of those proposed by the unions in the recent talks on an alternative for reducing the public sector pay bill, without cutting pay rates. The Government earlier this month rejected the unions’ proposals to avoid pay cuts by means of a major transformation programme in the medium term and a controversial plan for 12 days’ unpaid leave next year.
Public sector trade unions are to meet today to consider their response to the pay cuts introduced in the Budget. The public services committee of Ictu has already warned of a long and sustained campaign.
A decision on the nature and timing of any industrial action is unlikely to be made before the executive council of Ictu meets on Wednesday to consider its overall response to the Budget.
Mr McLoone said yesterday: “The problem we have to recognise is [that] the ambitions for the reforms I have been talking about for six months now lie in tatters. We need to understand the reason for that is that the people who work to provide public services are angry, upset and very hurt at the way the Government walked away from these negotiations at the last minute.
“I think we are now dealing with a potentially explosive situation. We must recognise that the main reason for that is that over 250,000 people in the public service whose earnings a year ago were €60,000 gross or less will have taken a 13 per cent enforced pay cut in 10 months,” he said.
Mr McLoone said the conditions no longer existed in which he had a workforce that “will be up for engaging in transformation”.
Cabinet ministers had indicated last week that if public sector reform was not introduced, further cuts in pay could be on the agenda for next year.
Also yesterday, president of Siptu Jack O’Connor said unions needed to prepare a plan of action.
He told The Irish Timesthe unions should try to avoid confrontation, but at the same time be prepared for it. He said the Government had to believe the unions were serious on the issue.