Re: Pub Sector get 12 days unpaid leave, where are the following years cuts to come f
Great post, well said.
Great post, well said.
I am very disappointed to have to take another pay cut, particularly as parts of An Bord Snip have been shelved because the government lacks bottle. However, I think the unions should just take it on the chin and go back to the government in the new year and proceed to put together the long term plan for reform. Otherwise, the same thing is going to happen at next year's budget. There will be another pay cut.
They should ask the government straight out how much money they want to reduce the PS bill by in the next 3 budgets. If this money can be saved without having to actually cut pay scales at least this debate won't be happening every year.
It's just a damn shame they haven't been proactive in this regard at all. Reform has been promised over and over and hasn't been delivered. It is demoralising to be taking pay cuts and thinking there are yet more to come. Instead of threatening the Irish people, the unions should be pro-active on the reform front so they gain the respect of the people. Then they can point to reforms achieved, instead of making empty promises, and perhaps people would have more respect for their position.However, I think the unions should just take it on the chin and go back to the government in the new year and proceed to put together the long term plan for reform.
There is no point in cutting our pay if they don't stop increments. The pension levy cuts were more of less cancelled out for me when I got my increment in August.
There is no point in cutting our pay if they don't stop increments. The pension levy cuts were more of less cancelled out for me when I got my increment in August.
How have the private sector showed how it really feels? and who in your opinion are the "private sector"? The cleaners,the delivery people, the farmers, the butchers, the chippies, the general operative, the shop assitant, the factory line worker, the bar person, the list could go on. Every job that isn't paid for by the state is done a a person that works in the "Private Sector".
The people on the street aren't talking about the trade unions and the PS, they'll be talking about them though if more strikes ensue.
So again, who in your mind are the private sector and how have they made their feelings clearly shown?
There is no point in cutting our pay if they don't stop increments. The pension levy cuts were more of less cancelled out for me when I got my increment in August.
What do you mean 'Who is the Private Sector'?
'They' have made their feelings very clear on this and many other forums, in letters to the papers, in conversations with Public Sector friends, by their outraged reaction to us getting 'holidays' ie having our working hours cut which resulted in backbenchers threatening to vote agains the budget. I really don't know whether this is a wind up or whether you really think that the private sector are not giving out about PS wages.
You must have got a very big increment or be paying a pretty small levy.
There is no point in cutting our pay if they don't stop increments.
In fairness, I know plenty of lower paid public sector workers who were equally outraged at the suggestion.
The levy for lower paid clerical grades was only 4 or 5% so it is possible that one increment would cancel it out.
+1
This is not intended as an inflammatory description, but really, increments are automatic pay rises aren't they? Is there any other way of putting it?
Personally, I only ever get a pay rise if the company can afford to give me one. I certainly don't get one every year anyway. Didn't get one this year or last year either.
Maybe have a temporary freeze on increments, to be reviewed after 2 years?
+1
This is not intended as an inflammatory description, but really, increments are automatic pay rises aren't they? Is there any other way of putting it?
Personally, I only ever get a pay rise if the company can afford to give me one. I certainly don't get one every year anyway. Didn't get one this year or last year either.
Maybe have a temporary freeze on increments, to be reviewed after 2 years?
I am very disappointed to have to take another pay cut, particularly as parts of An Bord Snip have been shelved because the government lacks bottle. However, I think the unions should just take it on the chin and go back to the government in the new year and proceed to put together the long term plan for reform. Otherwise, the same thing is going to happen at next year's budget. There will be another pay cut.
They should ask the government straight out how much money they want to reduce the PS bill by in the next 3 budgets. If this money can be saved without having to actually cut pay scales at least this debate won't be happening every year.
I believe we can move on from this point and there's now an opportunity for the entire public to get behind the idea that significant and permanent public sector reform rather than further pay cuts are the way forward from here.
From Peter McLoone in todays Irish Times.
The proposed deal included explicit agreement on the redeployment of civil and public servants, within and between organisations, to ensure better services as budgets and staffing declined.
Long-sought changes like the extended working day, which would deliver more flexibility and longer health service opening hours, were there for the taking. So were increases in day care, community health services, outpatient and diagnostic capacity.
The deal would have seen the introduction of shared services in areas like finance, procurement, human resources and payroll across health services, local authorities, education and the Civil Service. Competitive and merit-based promotions would have been extended to the last remaining areas of the public service, new procedures for redeploying surplus teachers would have been introduced, supervision and substitution arrangements would have been improved.
Staff co-operation with the restructuring and rationalisation of VECs and State agencies would have been guaranteed, better management and standardisation of annual and sick leave would have happened, and better Civil Service opening and closing times would have been introduced.
These are just some examples of the detailed changes that we tabled for the health services, education, local authorities and Civil Service – all as Government spending decreased. But the deal floundered because the Government reneged on its earlier agreement that the temporary measure of unpaid leave could enable us to get through 2010, before the transformation programme began to yield big savings.
Why did it take the threat of a pay cut to get all these things on the table and 'there for the taking'. Where were offers on these things during the years of so called 'partnership'. For years we have hearing from trade unions how efficient the public sector was and about all these reforms that were supposed to have happened. And yet the unions by some sort of mircle suddenly discovered all these inefficiencies that could be improved. It just goes to show that the past few years has been a case of take take take by public sector unions. They offered nothing but industrial relations peace in return.
Every reform mentioned by the Unions at the talks should be pushed through. With or without their co-operation.