Howlin urged to tell Cabinet colleagues to manage their expectations for pay talks

Another senior union official will today rule out additional productivity or reforms in return for pay restoration in the public service.

In a speech to a Siptu conference in Dublin, the union's health division organiser Paul Bell will urge Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin to tell some of his Cabinet colleagues to manage their own expectations about the outcome of forthcoming public service pay restoration talks.

Over the last fortnight Minster for Health Leo Varadkar and Minister for Jobs and Enterprise Richard Bruton have both called for new reforms and productivity measures to be put in place as part of pay restoration. Mr Howlin will be speaking at the Siptu health division conference today.

Mr Bell will tell the Minister he should “bring a message on our behalf to your Cabinet colleagues Mr Bruton and Mr Varadkar. That message is to please manage their expectations.”

Essential

Mr Bell will say it is “absolutely essential that Government understand that productivity has already been delivered and that what our members’ business today is about is recovering pay as part of a recognition for the many commitments already delivered upon.

“While Government declares the ‘emergency’ is over, our members need to see and believe that ‘ending the emergency’ is not just a slogan.

“Our members are not taking it for granted that we will automatically reach a satisfactory agreement at the end of our negotiations, and nor are they foolish enough to believe that pay restoration will be achieved in a single big-bang solution.”

Pension levy

In his speech Mr Bell will also urge the forthcoming pay negotiations to begin with discussions on the full repeal of the public service pension levy.

“Other issues concerning the pay of health workers also need to be addressed, and that agenda will be brought forward in our negotiations.”

Mr Bell is also expected to call for about 1,300 staff in health service support services who are currently employed on lower-paid intern arrangements to be given permanent contracts.

Mr Howlin is expected to seek Cabinet approval shortly to enter into talks with unions on unwinding financial emergency legislation introduced over recent years which underpinned various cuts made to public service pay and pensions. He has ruled out reversing the cuts in “one big bang”.