TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen, faced with the prospect of a national strike organised by the Irish Congress of Trades Union later this month, has again offered assurances to trade unions that social partnership has not been abandoned by the Government.
Speaking after the weekend Fianna Fáil Ardfheis, Mr Cowen said social partnership negotiations – which collapsed over the Government’s decision to impose a pension levy on State employees – will continue to be important.
“Social partnership continues to have a role to play in this country because I am making it clear that quite apart from having to deal with the question of having to deal with unemployment, providing enterprise supports and looking after the public finances and do something with the banks, we also need the agility and co-operation of everyone on the ground,” he said.
The pension levy will be deducted from State employees’ wages and salaries from this week, following the passage of legislation opposed by the Opposition in the Oireachtas last week.
However, Mr Cowen has already expressed caution about the prospects of the Government getting back into round-table talks with the social partners, saying in the Dáil last week that he agreed with Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary David Begg’s assessment that it would be “unwise” to resume formal negotiations “unless there is a reasonable degree of confidence that agreement on all the central elements can be found”.
Responding then to questions from Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, he said then: “While I remain available for dialogue with the social partners, the basis for a resumption of formal negotiations has not been established at this time.”
Nevertheless, some contacts have continued to exist between the State‘s top civil servant, Secretary to the Government Dermot McCarthy and union leaders, notably Mr Begg, since the sides divided on the levy.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, speaking yesterday, said the Government and the unions had agreed on the broad scope of the problems facing the country, and on the need to cut €2 billion from spending, if not on the means to achieve it.
“I think the important thing is that the social partners and the Government have agreed on the scale of the problem and on the type of decisions that have to be made, and we agreed on that broad framework. If we work together on that we can reach a resolution,” he said.
In the latest phase of protests against the levy, local authority workers are to begin a series of protests today with a march in Leitrim. More than 200 Siptu trade union members, who are outdoor staff with Leitrim County Council, will march on the council headquarters in Carrick-on-Shannon this evening to protest at the introduction of the levy.
The march will be followed by a protest at Fingal County Council headquarters in Swords, Co Dublin, next Monday. The Siptu non-officer branch also represents outdoor workers in Meath, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
Branch organiser Ramon O’Reilly said outdoor staff would be among the hardest hit by the levy. A member earning €600 a week with less than 15 years’ service would contribute €41 a week but would only receive €40 a week on retirement. A temporary worker would be caught for the levy but would not receive a pension.