Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

For quite some time, on behalf of the Labour Party, I have been urging the Taoiseach and the Government to conclude an agreement which would provide for a reduction in the public service pay bill and reforms in the public service. I have here seven documents which were signed off, as agreed, last Friday between the public service trade unions and the Government. There is a document on the health service which contains 15 specific reforms, including a change to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. rostering five days over days, significant savings on overtime premia, weekend working. I have one for the education sector which provides for increased hours for those working in the education sector and a revision of teachers' contracts. I have one for the local government service which includes reductions in the numbers of directors of service and directorates and arrangements whereby one local authority could provide services for another. I have one for the Civil Service which gives management the right to redeploy staff across Departments. I have two specific documents relating to redeployment and how it could be achieved, that it could take place within a 50 km radius, the number of sick leave days that would disqualify a person and quite specific details which would have provided the Government not only with the €1.3 million in savings, which it would achieve, but also much need reforms of the public service.

The Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance met the public service unions on Tuesday when the Taoiseach told them it was game on, so to speak, for this agreement and on that basis they called off their one-day strike. Discussions continued right through lunchtime on Friday and on Friday, the Cabinet decided to pull the plug-----

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