Partners toast arrival of new sibling

It may not have been a painful labour, or even a protracted one as these things go. But it was a relieved as well as proud social partnership that announced the birth, shortly after teatime last night, of its latest national pay agreement.

The new arrival, which weighed in at an impressive £3 billion, is to be known as PPF, and is a welcome addition to a family which already includes P2000, PCW, PESP, and the almost-forgotten PNF. (The Programme for National Recovery, to give it its full name, was a sickly child at birth in 1987 but has since grown into a source of great pride to its parents.)

The begetters of the latest agreement were all in Government Buildings last night for the happy event - including even the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union, which has a pro-contraception stance on national pay agreements and is denying paternity.

Everybody else, though, appeared to be celebrating. IMPACT summed it up by asking its members to consider if there was another process that could deliver increases of at least 25 per cent over the next 33 months, and added: "The answer has to be no."

The agreement also had the blessing of a clergyman. Having assisted at the christening, Father Sean Healy of the Conference of Religious of Ireland called the PPF "a dramatic move forward in the struggle to eliminate poverty in Ireland". The critical test for any new deal was its treatment of "poverty, social inclusion, equality and sustainability," he declared. "The new agreement passes this test."

The Taoiseach, who said the deal recognised "that people have an entitlement to share in the fruits of our new-found prosperity," found inspiration in the weather. "We have constantly to reposition ourselves if we are to move forward into the winds of economic and technological change," he warned. "Standing still is not an option. If we try to stand still, we will be blown back to the bad old days of the 80s or even worse."

Out in the courtyard of Government Buildings, the media - excluded on the grounds that the event was a plenary meeting of the partners - knew exactly what he meant. There was a wind sweeping through the gates that could have blown you back to the 1970s if you weren't careful. And in the icy temperatures, standing still wasn't an option.

But the vigil was partially rewarded when a group of 12 students slipped through the gate and mounted a brief but loud protest on the steps. "What do we want?" they shouted (answer: a grant increase); "When do we want it?" (now). The protest lasted all of about 30 seconds before security men explained that what they wanted was the students out, and when they wanted it was now. The angry young men and women were then ushered rudely towards the exit, protesting that everybody was a social partner these days except them.