Des Geraghty, "Substantial basic pay increases for all workers"
Peter McLoone, "Workers will be watching for a fairer tax system"
The Leader of the Country's largest Union has warned that there must be "substantial basic pay increases for all workers" if there is to be a new national agreement. The warning came this evening from SIPTU President Designate Des Geraghty as the social partners met today at Government buildings for the opening of negotiations on a successor to Partnership 2000.
Union leaders predict that next month's Budget will be crucial in determining the success or failure of the negotiations. Employers have warned that the benefits of economic growth must be invested in infrastructural improvements. Unions, employers and members of the so-called 'third pillar' have been publishing their pre-budget submissions over the past week.
The employers' organisation, IBEC, said that there should be priority investment in infrastructure such as roads and telecommunications, as well as in education and in training. It also called for a personal tax package of about £700 million, with those reductions in income tax conditional upon wage moderation. However, union leaders have warned that the issues to be addressed are much wider than simple tax cuts.
Peter McLoone, General Secretary of the country's largest public service union, IMPACT, said that workers would be watching to see if the Government moved towards a fairer tax system, where tax cheats were punished and pay restraint was rewarded. In that context, the Combat Poverty Agency said Ireland now had an unprecedented opportunity to create a poverty-free society.
