Intensive public pay talks set for Monday

Talks between public service unions and officials from the Department of Finance to try to resolve the row over pay cuts have adjourned at the Labour Relations Commission.

Chief Executive of the LRC Kieran Mulvey said it appeared that all sides wanted to do business.

Negotiations at the LRC will begin on Monday afternoon, with Mr Mulvey saying he hoped this new process could lead to a successful conclusion.

Government officials and unions will meet separately on Monday morning to discuss the various meetings that will take place over what has been described as a fortnight of intensive negotiation.

Mr Mulvey said after today's meeting ended, that it was the 'unanimous view of the parties involved' that they should now sit down over the next two weeks to attempt to reach a conclusion of 'outstanding issues' between unions and Government.

He said the matter of two weeks was a 'timeline' and not a deadline.

Entering this morning's talks, Peter McLoone of the Public Service Unions Committee said there was no bottom line for a deal as far as his members were concerned.

However, he added there could be no deal unless a reversal of pay cuts was on the agenda.

As he went in Liam Doran of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Union said 'they know exactly what we want'.

Today's talks arose out of a meeting between Taoiseach Brian Cowen and union representatives last night aimed at negotiating a deal in the row over public service pay cuts that has led to continuing low level industrial action in public services.

General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions David Begg has said he believes talks between the Government and the public sector unions over pay cuts have a 'reasonable chance of success'.

Mr Begg said that because of the groundwork done before Christmas, and behind the scenes since then, both sides were hoping to make progress.

While unions will not be calling off their industrial action, it is hoped that next week's planned escalation to include strikes will be deferred to allow the talks to take place.

Last night, SIPTU welcomed the development, but insisted that next month's planned two-day strike at seven Dublin hospitals has not been called off. Some 4,500 support staff are due to withdraw their labour.

SIPTU's Health Services Organiser Paul Bell said there was still time for the strike to be averted, but his members would have to be convinced that the Government would address the key issues of outsourcing and job security.