There will a 'whole new ball game' for the Croke Park agreement in the New Year due to the economic crisis according to one of the architects of the agreement.
Labour Relations Commission Chief Executive Kieran Mulvey told the Oirecahtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Innovation that agencies covered by the agreement in health, education, the civil service, local authorities and ‘quangos’ would have to deal with a significant level of potential expenditure reductions.
He said that almost six months after unions ratified the deal he was starting to see a certain degree of traction however he warned that without tangible, meaningful delivery of reform within six months the Croke Park agreement could fall into serious question.
He said he had criticised the 'scenic route' being taken to securing change.
However, he added that without the agreement the 5,000 job reductions being sought in the HSE could not have been secured without open warfare.
He said that if the governments of France, Portugal or Spain thought they could get a similar public service agreement they would welcome it with open arms.
He also said that the LRC's equivalent body in Britain, the ACAS, had proposed a similar agreement to the British government after seeing how it operated in Ireland.
