Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

20. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to implement a more streamlined process of negotiating pay and conditions for public sector employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24647/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The public service currently employs some 290,000 employees across individual Sectors, Departments and Agencies each with a diversity of terms and conditions of employment, skills, professional backgrounds and expertise. They are represented by a wide variety of individual representative associations and unions. Accordingly public service wide negotiations on pay and conditions are inevitably complex and challenging.

However, as they reflect the diversity of the workforce I am satisfied with the consultative and representative structure which applies in each sector and deals with day to day matters concerning the terms and conditions of employment of public servants. That is underpinned by the industrial relations machinery of the State, including the Labour Court and the Labour Relations Commission, or internal conciliation and arbitration mechanisms in specific sectors.