Analysis: the 'action plans' don't include details of productivity demands on the Civil Service, writes Cliff Taylor, Economics Editor.
No major new changes are likely to be pushed through in the Civil Service in return for the benchmarking pay awards.
The "action plans" published by Government departments yesterday include promises of modernisation and improvement, but most of the detail covers existing departmental programmes, many of which have already been under way for some time, rather than new commitments from staff.
Approximately 30,000 people are employed in the Civil Service, mainly in Government Departments, and are among the 230,000 public servants who will benefit from the benchmarking payments.
Over the summer public servants received 25 per cent of the awards recommended by the public pay benchmarking body, with the remaining 75 per cent to be paid over the next year in two phases.
The Government has repeatedly pointed out that extra productivity will be delivered in return for all payments except the first 25 per cent.
But the detail of the plans for the Civil Service do not indicate that any significant changes in work practices have been secured with many commitments vague or left subject to further negotiation.
This leaves the Exchequer exposed to the significant cost of the payments without the guarantee of commensurate improvements in service levels to the public.
The costs are significant, with benchmarking pay increases in the public service averaging 8.9 per cent, with a total cost to the Exchequer of €1.1 billion.
Many civil servants are, in fact, due to get increases slightly above the average, typically in the 10 to 14 per cent range.
The action plans published yesterday detail the changes to be introduced across Departments under a range of headings including commitments to customer service, modernisation and more open recruitment practices.
The details include the introduction of customer charters, the development of new performance measures and the introduction of new technology systems.
However, the plans do not involve civil servants committing to many significant changes and many contentious areas are left subject to further negotiations.
New recruitment and promotion practices, for example, are to be introduced gradually and are generally subject to further negotiations before they happen.
For example, in the Department of Health, merit-based promotions above Higher Executive Officer level are to be the subject of "continued discussions (with unions) with a view to identifying a time frame" for change.
In the area of more flexible working arrangements, concessions are also limited. Department of Health staff have agreed to open the general register office at lunchtime, for example, and Department of Education staff have agreed that they would make themselves available where appropriate for after-hours meetings with interest groups.
The programmes thus leave the onus on departmental management to push through changes in return for benchmarking awards. Many of them do have the potential to deliver better services, but the question of what exactly is to be given in return for benchmarking payments in the Civil Service has not been answered.