PDs support benchmarking, says Harney

Progressive Democrats (PDs) leader Ms Mary Harney said today her party was in favour the benchmarking process for public sector pay.

"It offers us a real opportunity to make a new start in the way public service pay is determined," she said.

She said the PDs would address benchmarking in the "best traditions" of social partnership. "We see no gain to the country and to the public in a confrontational approach".

Instead of political instability, we’ve had stable and effective government. Partnership government has been good government Ms Mary Harney

Ms Harney also defended social partnership against those she said had "cast doubt" on the agreements. The transformation of Ireland in recent years would not have happened without social partnership agreements, she claimed.

She called on those who question partnership to reflect on "the remarkable record of industrial peace and stability which we have achieved in this country over the past 15 years."

"We made a strategic choice to replace an old, confrontational style of social bargaining inherited from the British political tradition with a European style of negotiated settlement," she said. "Instead of political instability, we’ve had stable and effective government. Partnership government has been good government".

Social partnership has come under attack in recent weeks from employers who say agreements have not been kept and wages have been allowed to spiral, seriously eroding the economy’s competitiveness.

IBEC has described the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF) as a "a woeful experience for employers". On Tuesday, 26 anti-poverty and equality organisations walked out of a meeting of the PPF in protest at the lack of consultation.