A NUMBER of new bodies under an independent chair are to be established in several areas of the public service in an attempt to assist in the implementation of reforms under the Croke Park agreement.
The Government has already appointed an overall implementation body for the deal, which is being chaired by the former head of the Courts Service, PJ Fitzpatrick.
It is now planned to appoint “sectoral platforms”, initially in areas such as health and local authorities but also possibly in the prison service and education, which could consider the change and reform proposals and deal with problems that emerge without the need for these to be addressed at a national level.
Former health board chief executive Pat Harvey is being tipped to be appointed as chairman of the proposed new health sector platform.
Mr Harvey was formerly chief executive of the North Western Health Board. He was also “lead health board chief executive” on the development of the controversial PPARS computer project.
Yesterday the general secretaries of the main public service unions held preliminary talks with Mr Fitzpatrick. Informed sources said that a number of union leaders argued at the meeting that the Government’s moratorium on recruitment was leading to additional costs with staff who were leaving being replaced in some cases by personnel provided through agencies.
Union sources said that at the meeting Mr Fitzpatrick said the national implementation body would be totally independent and give all groups a fair hearing.
Sources said Mr Fitzpatrick maintained that the reviews on savings – which under the Croke Park deal will have to be carried out each spring up to 2014 and which will play a huge role in determining the extent of the reimbursement of pay for staff – would have to be totally credible.
Under the Croke Park agreement the Government has guaranteed that there will be no further pay cuts for public service staff and that compulsory redundancies will not be introduced at least until 2014. The deal also includes a mechanism for possibly reversing part or all of the pay cuts introduced over the last year or so.
In return for these guarantees, trade unions have agreed to co-operate on the introduction of wide-ranging cost-saving reforms including redeployment of staff.
Full details of the level of changes being sought by management in a number of areas across the public service have not yet emerged. The Croke Park deal has been accepted by most of the unions in the public service. However, some of the main teaching unions are opposed to the accord.
Meanwhile, the Labour Court is to begin a hearing today on proposals by HSE management in the west not to replace student nurses on the completion of a 36-week placement.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has refused to take part in further local talks with management and other unions on measures to tackle a potential €90 million financial deficit until the Labour Court process on the nurse-placement issue is concluded.