Yesterdays PR excercise Budget could spell the end for the National Pay Agreement. Unions and employers organisations have yet to approve the deal and after yesterdays Budget I can’t see any union recommending it to its members. Already the deal called for a pay freeze and then rises less then inflation, in reality a pay cut, but with the government taking 1% from EVERY worked and increasing VAT which will increase inflation by about 1.1% (thats 2.1% gone) workers don’t have money to spend. It wil all come down to local bargaining. I don’t foresee many strikes, as I do not see the Pay Agreements as a reason there hasn’t been any in the last number of years. But the budget takes the biscuit so to speak for many workers. I will be amazed if any union approves the deal and certainly ICTU won’t. IBEC aren’t happy with the budget either so, I doubt they will approve it either. Fun times ahead.
