The Public Service Executive Union has given a broad welcome to the Government's Strategic Management Initiative (SMI), which is aimed at modernising the Civil Service.
However, delegates to the union's conference in Waterford at the weekend cautioned against importing commercial values into the service at the expense of its public service ethic.
Substituting terms such as "customer" or "client" for citizen were particularly frowned on.
Delegates also complained that some of the initiatives being undertaken, such as the Freedom of Information Act, would be unworkable without more staffing and other resources.