Reforms 'would have saved billions'

ICTU RESPONSE:UNION LEADERS last night outlined details of the public sector reforms which they claimed could have been secured if agreement had been reached with the Government.

The public services committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) said the deal rejected yesterday by the Government would have brought about a transformation in public services. Ictu said the deal would have saved billions of euro and, in some cases, extended current levels of some public services.

According to Ictu, the deal it offered would have seen new value-for-money and waste-elimination programmes; procedures for redeploying surplus teachers; multidisciplinary working and reporting arrangements in the health sector; and changes to Civil Service opening and closing times and attendance arrangements.

The Ictu proposal included measures such as:

• better management and standardisation of annual sick leave arrangements;

• no reduction in any services as a result of the temporary unpaid leave measure;

• new value-for-money and waste-elimination programmes;

• the extension of merit-based promotions at all levels of the public service;

• an explicit agreement on the redeployment of civil and public servants within and between organisations to ensure better delivery of services;

• the introduction of shared payroll, procurement and human resources services in the areas of health, local authorities, education and the Civil Service; and

• co-operation with the rationalisation of State agencies in the local government area.

In the area of health, Ictu said it had proposed a process to deliver an extended working day leading to longer hospital opening hours; the introduction of evidence-based performance measurements; and new rosters leading to more flexible services and a reduced overtime budget.

On education, Ictu said it had proposed a review of the teaching contract to remove impediments to teaching and learning; greater flexibility in the substitution and supervision scheme for post-primary teachers; and co-operation with the restructuring and rationalisation of the vocational education sector.

It also proposed:

• increases in the number of in-patient beds and increases in day care and outpatient capacity in order to provide faster access to service at a lower cost;

• reviews of health service staffing ratios and skills mixes to help improve care at a minimal cost;

• a greater range of health services in community settings so that more patients could receive treatment at home.