Group to criticise NDP delay

Public sector benchmarking pay awards should be linked to the delivery of the National Development Plan, the annual conference of the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) will be told today in Galway.

The conference, to be attended by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, will hear the CCI chief executive, Mr John Dunne, warn that businesses urgently need delivery of the National Development Plan.

In a keynote address, Mr Dunne will maintain that the public sector is "strong on explaining why the NDP hasn't been delivered on time" but that "perhaps the public sector would implement the plan with more urgency if its pay increases were linked to the delivery of the plan".

Mr Dunne will advise the Ministers that the private sector sees no value in paying wage increases on the scale of those awarded to the public sector under benchmarking "without getting something in return".

He will add that delays to the plan are unacceptable whatever the reason and conclude that what is needed is action on delivery.

The conference takes place in Galway today and tomorrow. It will explore strategies that could by deployed by local communities seeking to attract foreign investment, and by indigenous companies looking to expand in the new global economic environment.

The general manager of Microsoft in Ireland, Mr Joe Macri, will address the gathering in a session dealing with new post-boom economic realities from a business perspective.

CCI is the Republic's largest business organisation, with 53 member-chambers representing over 11,000 businesses throughout Ireland, as well as more than 40 corporate and associate members.