Sinn Fein spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Mairéad Farrell TD, has said today that she welcomes the exploratory talks between the government and the public service unions over a new public service stability agreement (PSSA).

The present system of collective agreements has been in place in the public service since the Croke Park Agreement was negotiated in 2010, with the current agreement set to expire at the end of the year.

Teachta Farrell said:

“As confirmed to me yesterday by Minister McGrath, he has now instructed his officials to engage in exploratory talks with the Public Services Committee of ICTU to establish if there is a basis for a successor agreement to the Public Service Stability Agreement that would ensure pay stability, industrial peace and the delivery of quality public services.’

“It is important that we have a new PSSA because in the first instance it provides stability in the delivery of public services, and equally as important it provides a level of justice for workers.

“Public Sector workers have been a significant part of the front-line workers during the pandemic and they cannot be left behind. Those workers deserve to have economic security and know that their jobs are not left in a precarious position.

“My concern has been that during this pandemic we are greatly reliant on our public services and we are potentially putting industrial relations in peril and the delivery of public services into precarity.

“This is unprecedented in modern times, and I think very risky and unnecessary during these pandemic times. So I would hope that a timely and fair resolution could be reached to these talks to provide greater certainty.”