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IRISH BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE group IBEC has called for the immediate suspension of public sector pay increments, stating it is “not credible” to sanction the payments when a €3.5 billion adjustment is needed in the upcoming Budget.
IBEC said it is also making the calls to stop the €200 million annual increments “given the Government’s failure to achieve any significant savings to the allowances bill.”
Speaking ahead of the group’s HR Leadership Summit in Dublin today, director Brendan McGinty claimed “the country simply cannot afford public sector pay rises”, adding that “we’re spending €1 billion more that we’re taking in each month”.
The director said the measure can be “legitimately pursued” under clause 1.28 of the Croke Park deal, which states that “implementation of this agreement is subject to no currently unforeseen budgetary deterioration.”
Savings will “need to be found elsewhere”, McGinty added, before putting forward suggestions for increased working hours, a reform of the allowances system and an adjustment of pension entitlements.
“Another €3.5 billion adjustment in Budget 2013 is required and the bulk of this should come from reducing expenditure, not raising taxes. This is less damaging to jobs and recovery.”
IBEC says recent recommendations by the Labour Court setting a minimum 34-hour week for local authority staff “simply did not go far enough”. In relation to the allowances system, the group wants to see management proposals discussed with public service unions and, if disputed, put to independent arbitration by the end of the year.
It also believes that the Government will have to consider adjusting pension entitlements for serving public sector workers – and not just new recruits – as the current pensions liability is “simply unaffordable”.
Meanwhile, the Committee of Public Accounts is to examine the Public Service Reform Plan when it meets with Minister Brendan Howlin later this morning.
The Oireachtas committee will also receive a briefing on the work of the Implementation Body of the Croke Park Agreement.
Chairman John McGuinness said the hearing offers an opportunity to examine the progress report in detail and consider how the public sector is changing “in the way it is organised, in the way people are managed and in the way money is spent.”
The key issues to be discussed in the meeting are what savings are already being achieved, what savings are envisaged and what targets are in place. The PAC will also ask how are front-line services being affected as a result of certain savings.
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The report suggests the reason for the continued practice was linked to the “unswervingly Catholic ethos” of the hospital at the time. The hospital had an absolute ban on artificial contraception, even when it became both legal and broadly accepted in other hospitals.
The amount of damage ‘Catholic ethos’ has done to vulnerable communities here is almost incalculable.
There is still a ban on the prescription of contraception in hospitals with a catholic ethos.
The list of tertiary hospitals without a catholic ethos is pretty short.
It is ironic that the Catholic hierarchy are swanning around the RDS preaching redemption whilst these women are in chronic pain as a result of their policies.
And yet no sign of any apology, not a peep out of them. Disgusting.
I find this article very difficult to read . I suffer from chronic pain , but the pain and upset that was done to these women …on purpose, is deplorable. All thanks to religious ”values” where they preach that the family is all important. Yet they damaged irreparably ,one of the life and care givers in these families. Episiotomies were bad enough but ffs this is nightmarish. Some hospitals were against the epidural due to the ”ethos” of the same hospital until relatively recently…
I hope these women get satisfaction or acknowledgement of some sort or other and as another poster has said , there the good old catholic church are having a conference a few km’s away from these ladies ,enough said .
The ”unswervingly Catholic ethos” of the hospital at the time resulted in these women being mutilated and maimed for life. The unswervingly Catholic ethos of the country at the time also resulted in children being tortured, raped, buggered and incarcerated.
The legacy of this Institution is appalling and while the current consensus seems to indicate a less ”spiritual” attachment to the regime and a selective rejection of it’s dogma 84% of the Irish people are happy to associate themselves with, what now appears to be considered, it’s cultural legacy! Unbelievable!!
What will it take to remove the ‘ethos’ excuse in hospitals and schools that has caused so much damage to the people who these facilities were set-up to help and protect? Not one state school or hospital in the UK or France has this requirement and it does not impact one way or the other on the delivery of services. Doctors have their own ethos to apply to, teachers who complete a HDip could also fulfil an oath to protect and educate children, and that should be the end of it – remove these parasite from their only vestige of control, and let people decide their belief based on their belief, not access to service.
The list of tertiary hospitals WITHOUT a catholic ethos is pretty short. Within the catholic hospitals the prescription of contraception is technically not allowed.
this procedure was used on me in castlepollard and here in uk a couple of doctors commented while i was in labour but i never fully understood till i looked it up today and yes it fits with my constant aches and pains ..running the loo .. i had pre enclampsia and went blind as the supposed nurse smith came towards me i was 16 yrs old been in labor since friday mornng its now monday afternoon .. then i go blind .. 24 hrs later i come round .. in chronic pain and hips killing .. other girls never mentioned anything to me .. its been in my head for years that my pelvic bone area is in 2 halves almost as it moves if i say try and move something with my foot as leverage i cannot it feels like its come apart …ive had those suspisions for years and what with the doctors comments it all adds up
whoever made these decisions and for whatever reasons is almost certainly never going to be fully understood . the important thing now is that all of the incredibly brave women who endured this barbaric procedure , including my own lovely mom ,are treated with the dignity and respect that they so deserve . the government need to stand up and look after the ladies now . give them access to their medical files, redress through the courts and proper medical care .
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