merrion street

The Government has published approved text of new legislation to give effect to the draft agreements arrived at during the recent LRC process.

Legislation is needed if direct pay reductions are to be applied to the pay of any group of public servants, including officeholders such as members of the Government, of the Oireachtas and of the judiciary, and to the pensions in payment of former public servants. Legislation is necessary regardless of whether the proposed reductions are the subject of agreement with the public service unions and associations. 

The legislation also confirms the Government’s ability to make the necessary savings should collective agreements not be reached with the unions, by setting out a number of contingency measures.

The legislation will be debated before the Houses next week, to ensure that it will be operational in time to secure the necessary savings to the 2013 pay and pensions bill.

The legislation makes provision for the Government’s preferred option which is to reach agreement with its employees by allowing for exemptions from the terms of the Bill relating to increments in the event of a collective agreement being lodged with the LRC.

Ends