Fianna Fáil have failed to provide for a new public sector pay deal in their election manifesto, Cork North West Fine Gael General Election candidate Councillor John Paul O’Shea has said.
Cllr. O’Shea said: “Fianna Fáil have not provided a penny to give our hard-working public and civil servants a pay rise over the coming years.
“By comparison, Fine Gael have set aside €2 billion specifically for a public sector pay deal for when the current Public Service Stability Agreement expires.
“It will be a sustainable deal, allowing us to incrementally increase public pay while also investing in public services and reducing tax for low and middle income earners.
“We will also look to introduce a bargaining clause in the new agreement to make progress on sectoral issues, and seek to continue to enhance working conditions and career development opportunities for public servants.
“At the same time, we will ensure that any pay improvements are clearly linked to the modernisation of work practices and improvements in productivity.
“For example, we will ensure that the public sector takes a leading role in supporting genuinely flexible working, as well as remote working. This will be central to any new negotiations with public servants in relation to pay and conditions.
“Fine Gael have brought forward a fully costed plan to sustainably increase the pay of our public and civil servants.
“Fianna Fáil, on the other hand, have failed to provide a single cent for a new public sector pay deal,” Cllr. O’Shea added.
