THE EMPLOYERS body Ibec has said that it now believes that a social partnership deal on national recovery – with job protection at its heart – can be agreed.
Speaking last night after a meeting with the Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Ibec director general Turlough OSulllivan said that he was encouraged that there was a will on the part of the Government to address the jobs crisis in a way that was responsive to what employers, business and the unions were saying.
He said that the Taoiseach had indicated that Government officials were working on proposals – based in part on submissions made by employers and other social partners – which would emerge in the days ahead.
The executive council of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is to meet today to decide whether to continue with talks on a possible national economic recovery deal.
However in advance of this meeting, unions are awaiting a last-minute communication from the Government on its proposals for assisting workers in companies where the pension scheme is facing serious difficulties.
Ictu has put forward three priority areas to be addressed if it is to continue in the current social partnership talks with Government.
These are a €1 billion State investment in job protection and creation (a move broadly backed by Ibec), assistance for private sector pension schemes facing serious difficulties and measures to help people in mortgage arrears facing home repossessions
Unions leaders yesterday also appeared more positive about the issue of employment protection measures.
Union leaders said that the Government indicated that it would be extraordinarily difficult for it to do anything on pensions for workers facing involuntarily redundancy where their schemes were also in difficulties.
Speaking after a two-hour meeting at Government Buildings on pension reforms, the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) David Begg said that both sides were reflecting on the situation in this area overnight.
He said that the trade unions were expecting that there would be further communication from the Government today.
Mr Begg said that union representatives and senior civil servants had gone through “the most complicated discussions” which went over a range of problems and possible solutions in relation to the current pensions crisis.
He said that the ideal solution for the trade union movement would be for the establishment by the Government of a pension protection fund.
However, he said that Government officials had indicated that for resource reasons that this could not be done.
Mr Begg suggested that when the unions put forward other proposals that fell short of their ideal solution, the Government also proposed reasons as to why these would not work. He said that the union leaders had told the Government officials that they needed to know in advance of the Ictu meeting today whether the pension problem could be dealt with.
He said that there had been some progress on the issue of employment protection and creation which was the subject of talks between unions and Government officials on Monday.
Mr Begg said that the Government officials had indicated that they broadly shared the objectives in this area.
