Union leaders and officials from the Department of Finance have resumed talks over plans to cut the public sector pay bill by up to €1.3 billion.
Last night it emerged the Government will save about €300 million in a full year arising from the moratorium on recruitment in the public service and initiatives such as the incentivised early retirement and career break schemes aimed at reducing the numbers on the State’s payroll.
The Government’s side in the talks has insisted that such savings cannot be taken into account in relation to the €1.3 billion reduction in the public sector pay bill it is seeking for 2010. Trade unions have said there was a need for the Government “to put up in lights” the amount already contributed by public servants through the pension levy, pay rises foregone and operating with fewer staff as a result of the moratorium.
At the talks yesterday, unions also urged the Government to produce its vision for the size and scale of the public sector in 2014 at the end of its economic recovery period. Union leaders argued the talks should not just concentrate on the pay bill for next year but rather cover the period up to 2014.
Public sector unions have agreed in principle to a nationwide 24-hour strike on Tuesday, November 24th.
Public sector unions discussed plans for the strike following talks with the Department of Finance on how to achieve €1.3 billion in cuts in the public sector pay bill. The proposed one day stoppage would affect the operation of schools, hospitals and public services.