Unions to consult members on pay agreement

UNIONS WILL consult their members over the coming weeks on the new draft national pay agreement.

Many unions are withholding their verdicts on the deal, which was agreed on Wednesday, until they hold executive meetings after which they will ballot members.

Some of the ballots will not be held before the forthcoming budget and the outcome is unlikely to be known until November, unions indicated yesterday.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) is set to hold a meeting of its executive council on September 27th when a date for its special delegate conference will be decided.

Unions under Ictu will consult separately with members and decide whether to accept or reject the proposals.

Impact is likely to recommend the proposal to its members when its executive meets next Thursday in advance of a national ballot of its 60,000 members.

"I will be telling our branch representatives that this is the best deal available in the current economic climate," Impact general secretary Peter McLoone said.

The proposal meant a "special sacrifice" from public servants, he said.

A meeting of the TEEU (Technical Engineering and Electrical Union) was being held last night to decide on how it would consult members.

Indications of opposition to the proposal came from the Unite trade union and shop stewards.

Unite general secretary Brendan Ogle pointed out yesterday that the ESB workers did not get demands they were looking for, especially in terms of the pay pause and recognition of shop stewards.

A meeting of shop stewards is to be held in Dublin tomorrow. The Grassroots Shop Stewards Network has said it rejected the partnership agreement, which would bring "considerable hardship for many low-paid workers".

The Irish Bank Officials' Association (IBOA) said the outcome fell short of its expectations, describing the deal as "disappointing". Its executive committee is to consider the proposals.

Many unions have not yet indicated where they stand, including the country's largest union, Siptu.

It will hold a meeting of its executive council next Thursday where it will set a date for a special conference for representatives to "scrutinise proposals and query negotiators as to the substance of them", Siptu president Jack O'Connor said yesterday. The special conference is expected to be held in about three weeks after which a ballot of some quarter of a million workers will take place.

Mandate trade union will decide its position at a meeting of its executive committee on October 5th and will hold a ballot of its 50,000 members.

The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland will hold a postal ballot of members over the coming weeks.

The Irish Nurses' Organisation executive will meet on October 6th and 7th, and will hold a ballot after the budget.