Written Answers. - PCW Agreements.
Derek McDowell
Question:
108
Mr. McDowell
asked the
Minister for Finance
if he will list all of the individual and separate pay agreements that have been negotiated and concluded under the PCW in relation to the local bargaining clause; if he will set the terms and conditions in relation to those agreements when they were agreed; when they will come into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1944/98]
Austin Deasy
Question:
118
Mr. Deasy
asked the
Minister for Finance
if he will give details of those claims by public sector employees which remain unresolved and relate to the PCW; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1919/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 118 together.
The Programme for Competitiveness and Work— PCW — provided for the negotiation of local bargaining increases in one of two ways, either a straight 3 per cent increase, known as the option B route, or what became known as “restructuring” under option A. Restructuring was to operate within cost parameters which would allow settlements which added around 3 per cent to payroll during the period of the PCW — 1 January 1994 to 30 June 1997 in the public service — but it was also recognised that these settlements might, of their nature, involve some element of additional cost beyond the period of the PCW.
Most of the local bargaining claims in the public service have been dealt with under option A and, at this stage, settlements have been reached with groups comprising over 85 per cent of the total public service workforce. The groups concerned include Civil Service clerical, executive, management and professional grades, prison officers, gardaí, members of the Defence Forces, teachers, manual workers, craftspersons, all of the major groups in the local authority service, nurses, non-consultant hospital doctors, paramedics, radiographers, medical laboratory technicians, ambulance personnel and clerical and administrative staff in the health service and a range of different groups in the non-commercial State-sponsored bodies.
The PCW local bargaining agreements have tended to be very complex and to differ widely in their structure. Among the elements which were included in different agreements were salary increases, which in some cases varied depending on an individual's length of service and in some cases were confined to serving staff and did not apply to new recruits, selective up-gradings and promotions for a limited proportion of a grade and non-pay items such as enhanced early retirement provisions and the reckonability in future of certain payments for pension purposes.
The PCW local bargaining terms also provided for concessions from staff which would take account of the need for flexibility and change and the contribution to be made by employees to such change. Once again there were significant variations between the different agreements, reflecting the operational requirements of the various parts of the public service. Among the elements which feartured in the agreements were various cost saving measures, co-operation with changes in structures, work practices or other conditions of service, enhanced flexibility in the performance of duties, commitments in relation to atypical working and procedures to deal with under performers.
In view of the number and range of groups involved and the complexity of the individual settlements, it would not be practicable to provide the type of list requested by Deputy McDowell. In general, however, it is fair to say that prior to the nurses' dispute, settlements had been reached with over 60 per cent of public servants within the terms and cost parameters of the PCW and that the increases secured last year by some groups in the health sector clearly went beyond the cost parameters of the PCW agreement. I should also add that the PCW local bargaining provisions have, in general, helped to reinforce the concept of linking organisational changes and improvements in efficiency and effectiveness with pay developments for public service employees.
The PCW expired in the public service on 30 June 1997, and Partnership 2000 came into operation on 1 July 1997. However, there are still some PCW local bargaining claims which remain to be settled. I am not in a position to provide Deputy Deasy with a list of all the cases involved but I can say that while there are claims outstanding in all the different parts of the public service, most of them cover relatively small numbers of staff. The current difficulties in relation to the pay of a number of key groups, including craft workers and gardaí, also need to be resolved. My main concern, as far as all these cases are concerned, is that they should be resolved within the PCW cost norm.
