Taoiseach rejects Michael O’Leary’s view that he would ‘buckle’ to public sector unions

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has rejected suggestions by Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary that he would “buckle” and “roll over” to the public sector trade unions, and insisted that productivity increases would be part of any new pay deal with the unions.Speaking at the Fianna Fáil Wolfe Tone commemoration at Bodenstown Co Kildare on Sunday, the Taoiseach responded to O’Leary’s comments in this morning’s Business Post by affirming his support for public services, but also stressing productivity would have to be part of any new agreement.“We believe in the public service very strongly,” he said. “It’s essential in any civilised democracy that we have a strong public service to deliver services to people,” he said. “Obviously there has to be value for money, there has to be productivity and all of that, and that has always been our position. As someone who is experienced in politics, that’s my approach.”Martin declined to be drawn on whether he would be open to a lower percentage increase for higher-paid public servants with a higher percentage increase for lower-paid workers, rather than an across-the-board percentage increase.READ MORE“I’m open to an agreement that is affordable, that can advance productivity within the public service, that would look after low-paid workers – but again, let’s allow the negotiations to start. It’s not for me to be getting into the details or precise preferences about the shape of any agreement.”[ How Ireland’s first national public sector strike in 17 years left unions strong and Jack Chambers ‘scrambling’Opens in new window ]Pressed further, the Taoiseach said all such issues would be discussed with the unions first. Martin also said that previous pay agreements had sought to target lower-paid workers more for bigger increases, but that the Government side would have to hear from the unions on what their proposals were. “I’m not going to get into specifics in terms of where all that lands, but we’ve always had a view to protect lower-paid workers within the public service,” he said.Talks between the unions and the Government are due to get under way at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Monday morning. “I welcome the fact that a process has been agreed between the unions and the Government side,” he said. “What now needs to happen is for the negotiations to take place, and we can have a resolution that manifests itself in a new pay agreement, similar to the ones we’ve already negotiated.”[ Wednesday’s public sector strike called off after unions and Government agree on talksOpens in new window ]The Taoiseach declined to discuss suggestions that the €1.2 billion allocated to pay for a new deal in the recent budget could be increased by dipping into a €1.6 billion contingency fund.“We’re not going to go into what may transpire over the course of the negotiations ... Nothing is decided, no precise figures have even been mentioned yet.”