One of the main opponents of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, AGTWU secretary Mr Mick O'Reilly, has challenged its supporters "to come out from behind the coat-tails of the Government".
He called on SIPTU president Mr Des Geraghty and other proponents of the PPF to explain how wage increases of less than £2 a week in real terms were "fair recompense for workers creating an economic growth of 8 per cent". He also asked supporters of the deal to "explain how this proposed agreement will help young workers to buy their own homes with house prices rising on average by 20 per cent a year".
The PPF could not transform society when it "clearly distributes the lion's share of economic growth to the private sector rather than ordinary workers".
But Mr Geraghty accused him of engaging in "mischievous misrepresentation of the agreement" and ignoring the fact that it was a pay, tax and social welfare package aimed at increasing real incomes. He said Mr O'Reilly had been a participant in the PPF negotiations "and if he doesn't know what was going on I am not about to enlighten him".
He said increases secured for workers by Mr O'Reilly's union in Northern Ireland and Britain, "where they have the big battalions", were far less than those achieved through national agreements in the Republic.
IMPACT general secretary Mr Peter McLoone said a month ago he had challenged opponents of the agreement to put forward an alternative and they had failed to do so. "That's because there is no other process that will deliver over 25 per cent in pay increases and average tax cuts in less than three years," he said.