Seeking votes while putting hikes on hold won’t be tolerated – unions
POWERFUL unions for State workers have warned their members will not tolerate any threat to pay rises or welfare payments posed by a snap election.
Impact said it was “inconceivable” that politicians would knock on doors seeking votes while increases due to 1.5 million welfare beneficiaries and 300,000 public servants were on hold.
The general secretary of the Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) Tom Geraghty said his reaction would be “unprintable” if the Government failed to pass legislation enabling the wage hikes to be honoured.
The first 1pc, under the pay deal that was agreed earlier this year, is due on January 1.
But there are fears that an election could halt the passage of the legislation.
Public servants are due a further pay rise of 1pc on October 1 next year.
They are also due further pay rises every year under the deal up to 2020, and the easing of a pension levy that was imposed during the crisis years.
An Impact spokesman said the union expected the Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill to pass despite the threat of an election before Christmas.
Bernard Harbor said the pay bill was due to complete its second stage next week, “all being well”.
He said the Social Welfare Bill – which gives effect to Budget improvement in benefits – would definitely not be able to complete its progress by tomorrow, when the confidence motion is due. However, he believed it was still likely that both bills would pass into legislation.
“These are ‘money bills’, so it is conceivable that they will complete their passage through the Oireachtas before an election, even if the no confidence vote is passed [tomorrow],” he said.
“What is inconceivable is the idea of politicians knocking on doors to seek votes while having to tell social welfare recipients and public servants that their income restoration is on hold because we collapsed the Dáil over an email.”
Mr Harbor said he was attending a conference on Brexit and the Border last week where politicians’ focus on an election was criticised.
“The point has been made that, with a crucial EU summit in less than a month’s time, it’s incredible that our elected representatives are focused on elections rather than the future of Brexit and issues like free movement across the Border – with all it means for the Good Friday Agreement and the economy across the island of Ireland,” he said.
Mr Geraghty said he doubted the Government would renege on passing the legislation.
“If it does, my reaction be unprintable,” he said.
Impact and the PSEU are set to merge with the Civil, Public and Services Union into a new will 80,000-strong union in January. The new union, which will be called Fórsa – the Irish for force – will have a €50m war chest for industrial action.
Meanwhile, a union source noted the pay deal was supported by all the main parties. “I think they’d see it as in their interest to get it passed even in the event of an election,” they said.