The Congress Public Services Committee has reaffirmed its intention to maintain a collective approach to public service pay and related issues.
At the November 16 meeting affiliates heard a report from the PSC officers about their ongoing engagement with Minister Donohoe and senior officials of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in the wake of the 3rd November Labour Court recommendations in the Garda dispute.
The officers reported that both the Minister and his officials continue to express their support for a public-service wide agreement, and that the Minister and his officials have acknowledged that the Labour Court recommendations in the Garda dispute have wider implications in the public service, which need to be addressed.
The PSC officers have strongly made the point – most recently in a meeting with senior officials yesterday evening (Tuesday) – that public servants and their representatives require clarity about the process and timetable for addressing these issues, including the need for accelerated pay restoration. They have also made the point to the Minister and his officials that the Lansdowne Road Agreement will be undermined unless this happens quickly.
The PSC officers told the meeting that they believe the wider implications of the Garda Labour Court recommendations can and should be dealt with in negotiations early next year, under paragraph six of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, which allows such issues to be addressed within the scope of the Agreement.
Subsequentky, the PSC made a submission to the Public Service Pay Commission setting out the need for "a timely negotiation of the pace and quantum of public service pay recovery."
