Attempts to secure a new national partnership agreement suffered a setback yesterday on two fronts. Private sector unions expressed "serious concern" about the pay deal agreed earlier this month, and many are poised to reject it.
Talks, meanwhile, on the non-pay elements of an agreement continue at Government Buildings today, but appear to be heading for deadlock. Following a meeting with Government officials yesterday, farm leaders said they had still received no specific commitments to address the income crisis.
The Irish Farmers' Association president, Mr John Dillon, said if the Government pushed ahead with an agreement that was "a pay deal only", the IFA would "respond appropriately". He declined to elaborate, but there are increasing indications that neither the farmers nor the community and voluntary sector will be party to a new agreement.
Neither side, however, plans to walk out of the talks and will instead place the onus on the Government to end the process.
While a major breakthrough was achieved yesterday on payment of the benchmarking awards for public servants, growing union unrest in the private sector is putting an overall agreement in doubt.
Following a meeting yesterday, the private sector committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said a number of issues "of serious concern" had arisen. These are to be conveyed to the general purposes committee of ICTU, which meets today.
A number of unions are unhappy about three elements of the deal secured following the intervention of the Government in the talks a fortnight ago. They believe the seven per cent pay increase, to be phased in over 18 months is too low; the "compliance" measures are too restrictive and not enough progress was made on the right to union recognition.
Mr Eamon Devoy of the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union said the proposed agreement was "a case of too little, too late".
"Workers are being asked to settle for seven per cent over 18 months, when inflation is running at nearly double that for essential items such as housing, transport and fuel," he said.
Mr Devoy, who is also secretary of the ICTU private sector committee, claimed unions would be "bound hand and foot" by the compliance measures of the new agreement.
Under these, unions would be required to accept binding arbitration in areas of dispute, including cases in which employers pleaded inability to pay the terms of the agreement.
"In the past we at least had scope for local bargaining in profitable companies but now that general pay rounds are being reduced the employers want to leave no scope for local bargaining," said Mr Devoy.
On union recognition, he said the changes proposed did not go far enough in tackling the representational problems of people in "virulently anti-union companies".
Other unions have expressed similar concerns, but one source said last night that most were "keeping their powder dry" until negotiations on all aspects were concluded.
The social partners are to return to Government Buildings today to hear revised proposals on a streamlined national agreement, focusing on agreed priorities.
However, Ms Frances Byrne, a spokeswoman for the Community Platform, which represents 26 community and voluntary organisations, said nothing specific had been offered to date.
