Chris Dooley answers the frequently asked questions about the continuing negotiations on a new programme.
So we finally have an agreement to succeed the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, do we?
Not quite. The social partners and the Government have produced a set of proposals that have to go back to organisations and members on the ground for approval. And some loose ends have to be tied up this week before the final text is known. ICTU and IBEC will make their final decisions on it at special meetings next month.
What has been proposed?
The proposals cover a wide range of areas, from pay rates in the public and private sectors to initiatives tackling social inclusion and inequality.
If the agreement is approved, how long does it last for?
The pay rises cover an 18-month period, until the middle of next year. But the overall programme would run for three years, the same as previous social partnership programmes.
What are the pay proposals?
The overall increase would be 7 per cent over 18 months. Workers in the private sector would get a 3 per cent increase for the first nine months, 2 per cent for the following six, and 2 per cent for the following three.
Public servants get a similar overall increase, but only after a six-month pay pause.
Why the difference?
Because public sector staff will come out with more money when the benchmarking increases are taken into account. These provide average pay rises of 8.9 per cent, phased in between now and June 2005.
Do they have to give anything in return?
Yes, public sector unions last week signed up to a programme of modernisation and change, which alters work practices in a number of areas, provides for increased open recruitment to the Civil Service and requires strong commitments to industrial peace.
This programme of change will be voted on by union members as part of the overall partnership agreement.
Doesn't that create an anomaly, with private sector workers voting on benchmarking and public servants voting on private sector pay increases?
Yes, it does, but the whole deal will be passed or will fall as one package.
Apart from pay, what else is there?
A number of non-pay elements were negotiated by unions, employers and the Government earlier this month.
They included increased statutory redundancy, an affordable housing initiative, improved procedures to deal with union representation and a controversial requirement that unions accept binding arbitration when disputes arise in certain areas.
If those proposals were negotiated weeks ago, what was going on at the weekend?
The full complement of social partners - unions, employers, farmers, and the community and voluntary sector - were putting together the remaining elements of the programme, including 10 "special initiatives" to provide social and economic progress.
You'd better tell us what they are.
They come under various headings, including insurance costs, housing, child poverty, waste management, childcare, housing, unemployment, educational disadvantage and drug abuse.
Is the community and voluntary sector satisfied with the outcome?
That depends on which group you talk to. Some believe they offer modest progress, others that it is a "Programme of Austerity and Vagueness".
Are the farmers happy with the outcome?
No, they say the agreement does not address the income crisis in farming and, for the first time, it looks like farmers will not be signing up to social partnership.