No guarantees for workers if Croke Park 2 is rejected, says Hayes
Everything will be back on the table if the Croke Park 2 proposals are not accepted by unions, Junior Finance Minister Brian Hayes has warned today.
If the deal is rejected, issues such as cuts to premium pay and overtime for workers in the public sector will be up for discussion once again, he said.
The government is aiming to cut €1bn from the public pay bill.
The warning comes after the Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn told teacher's unions this week that frontline services could be in the Government's firing line if the proposals are rejected by unions.
Junior Minister Hayes says the deal on offer is fair.
"People need to know that the deal on the table is a good deal, it’s a fair deal, it protects the pay for people under €65,000, which is effectively three-quarters of our public-sector workers, and it's a measured attempt to deal with the financial crisis that we're living through at the moment," he said.
"If that deal is voted down, they can't have any guarantees about what will ultimately come from a decision taken made by Government."
