THE TRADE union representing lower-paid Civil Service staff said there would be no change to its stance on the Croke Park agreement pending the outcome of a new ballot of members.
Delegates at the Civil, Public and Services Union (CPSU) annual conference on Saturday voted effectively to block reforms under the agreement.
However, the general secretary of the union, Blair Horan, said its executive would consider the issue of a ballot on the Croke Park deal when it met later this month. In the meantime there would be no change in its position.
The union considers that lack of co-operation with reforms would constitute industrial action and could not be undertaken without a ballot of members.
CPSU members last year voted to reject the Croke Park deal. However, the union’s conference heard last week that it had so far adopted a policy of “constructive ambiguity” about the deal, under which issues were considered pragmatically on a case-by-case basis.
Delegates voted decisively on Saturday in favour of the motion which instructed the union’s executive to withhold co-operation with reforms. The motion said such co-operation was clearly tied to a guarantee that there would be no further pay cuts before 2014. However, it said union members had experienced significant reductions in their take-home pay as a result of the budget in December.
Yesterday Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the Government’s pace of reform would be enhanced over the coming months. He warned on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland of further cuts in public service pay if the Croke Park agreement was not implemented quickly and in full.
