THE Department of Finance has told the leaders of public service unions that pensioners will benefit from productivity increases awarded to their members under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work.
There had been concern in the unions that the Government position had changed, following remarks by the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, on Wednesday that it was not possible to pass on the productivity element of the increase to pensioners.
Mr Bruton made the comments during his television debate with the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern. But the Department has faxed memos to various trade unionists representing public service workers, telling them that it accepts the principle of parity for pensioners where the PCW increases are concerned.
A spokesman said later that further talks with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on the issue are due soon. "The matter is the subject of ongoing discussions with the Public Services Committee of the ICTU. The issue is not about the principle of parity but about the most appropriate methodology of applying it in these novel and complex circumstances," the memorandum states.
The chief nursing officer of SIPTU, Mr Noel Dowling, welcomed the clarification yesterday. He said the Taoiseach's remarks had caused concern, not just for 5,000 nurse pensioners but 26,000 serving nurses who feared it would set a dangerous precedent for future pensioners under other national agreements.
The deputy general secretary of IMPACT, Mr Shay Cody, who represents technical, administrative and clerical grades in the public service, said that he understood that delays had arisen because of the complexity of the productivity and restructuring deals involved under the PCW. Not only were the deals complex, but they varied between sectors within the public service, which made it difficult to work out a formula that would apply to everyone.
Some unions, like IMPACT, have negotiated restructuring deals which give across the board increases at the top of the scale that should be relatively easy to translate into increases for pensioners. The Public Service Executive Union, on the other hand, introduced a long service increment personal to the individual current office holder which would be difficult to convert into a pension increase for anyone else.
Anomalies also exist for groups; like teachers, nurses and gardai. Some unions want to negotiate individual packages but the Department is insisting on agreement on a common formula.
