THE OPERATION of schools, hospitals and public services generally are likely to be seriously affected on November 24th as a result of a one-day stoppage by staff across the public sector in protest at proposed Government cuts in the public sector pay bill.
Public sector trade unions last night decided that the 24-hour strike should go ahead subject to members approving the action in ballots which are under way. Members of Impact, which proposed the strike, have already voted in favour of the stoppage.
Further talks are now to take place between the public sector unions on detailed arrangements for the strike. These preparations will take place in parallel with engagement with the Government on its plans to reduce the public sector pay bill by €1.3 billion next year.
Speaking after the first round of these talks with the Department of Finance yesterday, general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation Liam Doran said that unions had insisted that cuts in pay, allowances or premium rates were not on the agenda.
The Irish Timesunderstands that at the talks the Government side indicated that it wanted about €500 million of the overall €1.3 billion sought in savings to come from the health sector.
It is understood that management wanted about €400 million to come from the education area, €160 million to be generated from the Civil Service, State agencies and the prison service with the balance coming from local authorities, gardaí and the Defence Forces.
Informed sources said Department of Finance officials had argued that savings already generated through the moratorium on staff recruitment, as well the incentivised early retirement and the career break schemes introduced earlier this year, would not count in calculating the proposed €1.3 billion reduction in the public sector pay bill.
The talks yesterday featured an initial plenary session involving all parties and later broke down into discussions on various areas of the public sector such as health, education, local authorities and the Civil Service. It is understood that in the Civil Service talks the department suggested that there was scope for further savings in premium payments, increments, extra hours and unpaid leave.
In the health area, management proposed an expanded working day, running from 8.00am to 8.00pm during which overtimerates would not apply. Management also wanted provision for compulsory redeployments and a two-year peace clause.
Many of the proposals advanced at the sectoral talks had already been tabled at previous negotiations on public sector reform which took place over recent months.
Union sources said last night that management had not put forward any paper on the proposed pay bill reductions and that proposals set out in the sectoral discussions represented the opening gambit in the process.
Union leaders see the talks as an opportunity to look at other measures to avoid cuts in pay. Further talks are to take place today.