The Government welcome the confirmation by ICTU at their special delegate conference of their continued agreement to the Programme for
National Recovery. This decision was due to the fact that the majority of delegates considered that the programme had been honoured and implemented in full by the Government. The progress report published last week by the central review committee of the programme and placed in the Oireachtas Library gives full details of the progress made under the programme in implementing its objectives and commitments.
The Government hope that all social partners will participate in negotiations on a further programme. Since the current Programme for National Recovery is operative until the end of this year, discussions on a new programme will not commence until later this year.
The Programme for National Recovery enables the social partners to share in decision making and implementation in respect of national economic and social objectives. This is a new successful formula for national economic management which is better than anything we have ever tried before. It is now widely recognised that the economic and social progress made over the past three years has been due in large measure to the programme. The social partners who have contributed so much to the success of the programme should now have the opportunity in continued partnership with the Government to determine how the growing benefits of our expanding economy will be distributed.
I hope, therefore, that the negotiations in due course will lead to a new programme which will enable us successfully and in partnership to confront and overcome the many economic and social problems which still face us.