Kenny Commits to Immediate Meeting with INO when Taoiseach

Govt. Should be Part of the Solution, not Part of the Problem

Speaking at an Irish Nurses Organisation conference in Dublin today, the Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny committed to taking a different approach to resolving the nurses' dispute when in office. He said that within the first week of his period in office he would invite representatives of the INO to his office and personally chair the first round of negotiations. He went on to say that nothing is more important than the health of the Irish people.

"This issue merits the personal attention of the Taoiseach. When I am Taoiseach, I will handle this dispute differently. In my first week as Taoiseach, I will take personal responsibility to kick start real negotiations to resolve this dispute. I'm prepared to meet the INO and the PNA and chair the first round of negotiations.

"Ten years ago an equally complex industrial-relations problem involving nurses was brought to a satisfactory conclusion. That issue was handled and resolved by a Fine Gael Minister in the then Rainbow Government, which included in its ministerial team Richard Bruton, Pat Rabbitte, Liz McManus and myself - all leaders and deputy leaders of the Alliance for Change.

"From what we have seen so far, of the discussions between the nurses' representatives and the outgoing government, there has been nothing like the level of creativity and ingenuity demonstrated by the Rainbow Government 10 years ago.

"From my perspective, the Government can do one of two things. Sit and wait for something to turn up. Or roll up their sleeves and find a way around the problem. That is why I am committed to getting personally involved in this dispute when I am Taoiseach.

"In the interim there are a number of areas worth pursuing to secure a breakthrough in this particular dispute. In our well-developed code of industrial relations legislation there is a seldom-used provision of the Industrial Relations Act of 1990. This section makes it clear that:

"Where a Minister is of the opinion that a trade dispute is a dispute of 'special importance' then he may request the Commission or the Court or another person or body to conduct an enquiry into the dispute and to furnish a report to him on the findings".

"I believe it is time to invoke this provision to help end this dispute. It is time to appoint a person, acceptable to both sides, to examine the issues and find their way around the roadblock as a matter of urgency.

"Here's what they might look at:

1. All sides seem to accept the validity of the claim by nurses and midwives for the introduction of a 35-hour week but we must see movement. Setting a date (in early 2008) for a significant reduction from 39 hours could move this process on.

2. It should also be possible to set a reasonable medium-term date to complete the reduction to 35 hours. However, side by side with setting that medium term date, we must also set up a robust verification process whose task would be to validate and confirm that the necessary productivity measures, work place changes and flexibilities are in place to ensure that the level of hospital activity, and more importantly – standards of patient care – are in no way compromised by this change.

3. In relation to the pay aspect of this, Fine Gael is on the record about the inadequacy of the current benchmarking process. We have been severely critical of the complete lack of transparency in benchmarking. Frankly, we believe that consumers of public services in Ireland and remember, public servants are also consumers of public services, are entitled to see tangible improvements in return for the €1bn annual cost of the last benchmarking process. We believe that a reformed benchmarking process with greater transparency and greater rigour should be in place and that such a reformed process could allow for pay claims from the nurses to be processed.

"This dispute must end, and it will end. The only matter to be resolved is whether or not the Government are playing their part in responding creatively to the reforms and proposals put forward by the nursing unions. The answer today is a resounding no. With Fine Gael in Government that answer will become an unqualified yes."

Ends.

[h. When I am Taoiseach, I will handle this dispute differently. In my first week as Taoiseach, I will take personal responsibility to kick start real negotiations to resolve this dispute. I'm prepared to meet the INO and the PNA and chair the first round of negotiations....

2. It should also be possible to set a reasonable medium-term date to complete the reduction to 35 hours. However, side by side with setting that medium term date, we must also set up a robust verification process whose task would be to validate and confirm that the necessary productivity measures, work place changes and flexibilities are in place to ensure that the level of hospital activity, and more importantly – standards of patient care – are in no way compromised by this change.

3. In relation to the pay aspect of this, Fine Gael is on the record about the inadequacy of the current benchmarking process. We have been severely critical of the complete lack of transparency in benchmarking. Frankly, we believe that consumers of public services in Ireland and remember, public servants are also consumers of public services, are entitled to see tangible improvements in return for the €1bn annual cost of the last benchmarking process. We believe that a reformed benchmarking process with greater transparency and greater rigour should be in place and that such a reformed process could allow for pay claims from the nurses to be processed.

"This dispute must end, and it will end. The only matter to be resolved is whether or not the Government are playing their part in responding creatively to the reforms and proposals put forward by the nursing unions. The answer today is a resounding no. With Fine Gael in Government that answer will become an unqualified yes."

Ends.[/quote]

Patience in negotiations

Bringing the office of Taoiseach into the negotiations would increase the political pressure on the government side to settle and possibly could undermine the HSE's bargaining position. Better to wait patiently for the nurses and the INO to realise the futility of trying to breach benchmarking,similar to the waiting game with ASTI teachers. In time,maybe six months, an intervention by the Taoiseach could allow the INO union leaders a chance for a graceful exit and climbdown.

Some people may say that six months is too long to wait. The alternative is the end of benchmarking,which is already an ATM, and a free for all in public sector pay demands that would destabilise the Irish economy for years.

Even if the dispute is settled within benchmarking, any productivity improvements promised in return for a gradual reduction in nurses' weekly working hours likely will be a sham,just like most of the productivity promises made under benchmarking to date.

So annual reductions in hours should only be conceded after an independent consultancy has verified the productivity improvements.Any reductions in hours that aren't spread over at least a decade would amount to surrender of HSE's bargaining position.

As for transparency in benchmarking, there is a need to calculate the worth of public sector pensions indexed to wages and the worth of public sector lifetime job security, a privilege enjoyed by distinguished professors and,in the 19th century,well connected aristocrats. In my opinion,this job security alone is worth at least 15% of pay of a comparable private sector job, and in a stagnant economy such as the 1980s,maybe 20 to 25%.

The statistical comparisons with private sector pay and selection of private sector work groups to compare require a tremendously complex statistical operation. Many of the decisions by necessity are based on judgements, not on pure statistical method. The opportunities for challenging those decisions are endless,so a review process would be impractical.