page updated: Thursday 2nd February 2012
Croke Park agreement (full text)
Summary of progress reported for the period April to September 2011
First annual report on progress (National Implementation Body)
Civil service redeployment guidelines July 2011
Latest News
Allowance review must respect Croke Park protections
Thursday 2nd February 2012
The Government has confirmed that new public servants will not get allowances or premium payments paid to existing staff, pending the outcome of a review currently underway. The same goes for staff promoted, newly assigned or transferred into work areas where allowances exist. Read more HERE.
Shock, horror, but ignore the facts
PAGE 13 – Irish Examiner By Shay Cody, IMPACT general secretary
Wednesday 1st February 2012
There’s been more than a hint of panic in some of the debate about retirements from the public service at the end of this month, with lurid reports of the possible effect on services and costs to the exchequer. A lot of this has been based on assumptions rather than facts. Read more HERE .
Croke Park Retirement Panic
Wednesday 1st February 2012
There’s been a hint of panic in recent media coverage of expected retirements from the public service at the end of this month, with lurid reports of the possible effect on services and costs to the exchequer. Thankfully, most media coverage has been based on assumptions and misinterpretations rather than facts. Read more HERE.
Potential savings from increments vastly overestimated
Wednesday 1st February 2012
The exchequer would save just €50 million if public service increments were frozen in 2012 – less than a fifth of the €250-300 million cited by some commentators – according to IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody. Read more HERE.
Croke Park savings: Just one example
Wednesday 1st February 2012
The big ticket savings from Croke Park have so far mostly been related to staff reductions. But many local and sectoral initiatives are also creating savings through changed working practices and other initiatives. Read more HERE.
Summary of progress on savings and reform under the Croke Park agreement
Wednesday 1st February 2012
Summary of progress on savings and reform under the Croke Park agreement. Read more HERE.
OPINION: Facing the challenges in 2012
Thursday 22nd December 2011
IMPACT General Secretary SHAY CODY looks at the year ahead and the challenges facing public servants in year three of the Croke Park agreement. Read more HERE.
75% of public servants paid less than €60,000
Wednesday 21st December 2011
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has confirmed that over 75% of public servants are paid less than €60,000 a year. Just over 2% earned more than €100,000. Read more HERE.
Wicklow TD attacks increments
Wednesday 21st December 2011
Wicklow-East Carlow TD Simon Harris made headlines in December as he launched an attack on public service pay increments, as the issue drew more focus in the aftermath of Budget 2012. Read more HERE.
Consultations planned on overtime and premium payments
Tuesday 6th December 2011
Unions have been assured that planned measures to cut spending on allowances and premium payments will be done within the scope of the Croke Park agreement, which does not allow for cuts in the rates themselves. Read more HERE.
Young IMPACT members reject increments freeze call
Tuesday 6th December 2011
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform’s statement of 2012 Government expenditure yesterday did not target public service pay increments, despite calls from Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay and others. Read more HERE.
Spending and employment cuts a huge challenge
Monday 5th December 2011
Maintaining the level and quality of public services with 6,000 fewer staff and €1.4 billion less current spending, against a background of growing demand for services, will be a huge challenge. That was IMPACT’s reaction to yesterday’s Government statement of 2012 public spending and staffing plans. REad more HERE.
IMPACT updates politicians on Croke Park progress
Thursday 1st December 2011
IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody has written to all TDs and senators to tell them about the savings and reforms being achieved under the Croke Park agreement. The initiative followed the publication of a progress report from the Croke Park implementation body last month, and aimed to counter criticisms – mostly made on an anonymous basis – by a small number of backbenchers. Read more HERE.
Croke Park progress continues
Thursday 17th November 2011
The latest progress report from the Croke Park national implementation body reveals that public service staff numbers fell by over 5,500 between last December and September 2011. Progress was also made on leave standardization, rationalization of agencies, shared services, redeployment and other reforms. Read the report HERE.
IMPACT members to be affected by state agency changes
Thursday 17th November 2011
The Government’s plans to rationalise state agencies are likely to affect hundreds of IMPACT members in state agencies, the civil service, health, local authorities and education. Read more HERE.
Public service staffing to shrink 282,500
Thursday 17th November 2011
The number of public servants will shrink to 282,500 by 2015, down from a peak of 320,000 in 2008, according to new Government targets. The reduction of 37,500 posts would alone reduce the public service pay bill by over €2.5 billion - or 15% - compared to 2008. New staffing targets for each sector will be published with the Budget. Read more HERE.
Civil service PMDS changes agreed
Thursday 17th November 2011
Changes to the civil service performance management and development system (PMDS) have been agreed this week and will come into force in 2012. Read more HERE.
Public service leave to be capped at 32 days
Wednesday 16th November 2011
New Government proposals, which envisage no cuts in leave for the great majority of public servants, will mean that no existing public servant gets more than 32 days leave from next year. The cap, which will fall to 30 days for new entrants, would come into effect in 2012. Read more HERE.
Life in the reality distortion field
Tuesday 1st November 2011
A deluge of media commentary about exit packages for senior civil servants is creating the impression that all public servants are feather-bedded. It ain’t so says NIALL SHANAHAN. Read more HERE.
Pension changes confined to new entrants
Wednesday 26th October 2011
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has confirmed that there has been no decision to change pension arrangements for current public servants. The department was responding to a letter from ICTU’s Public Services Committee, which was prompted by a clause in new legislation that makes it possible for a minister to change the current link between public service pay and pensions at some time in the future. Read more HERE.
Croke Park deal passes another test
Tuesday 25th October 2011
The Croke Park agreement remains on course to deliver the savings and reforms required under the Government’s agreement with the IMF-EU ‘troika.’ But it will be tested with the publication of the Government’s comprehensive spending review later this year and, again, when thousands of public servants retire early in 2012. Read more HERE.
Secretary general sets out reform agenda
Friday 30th September 2011
The public service will have between 270,000 and 280,000 staff when current Government reforms are implemented, according to the secretary general of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Read more HERE.
