UNIONS' REACTION:SIGNIFICANT CUTS in staffing levels as part of the Government's public sector reforms would lead to reduced services, the country's largest public sector union, Impact, said yesterday.
It said the recent OECD report on the public service found there were proportionately fewer staff employed in the Republic than in similar countries.
This proved that there was very little "fat" to cut, the union said.
"No doubt there is some scope for savings and redeployment to meet changing priorities, but large-scale redundancies will hurt services and the people and communities that need them."
The union said it welcomed initiatives aimed at making it easier for citizens to access services, but that most of the recommendations published yesterday "were disappointingly inward-looking and would have little impact on people's experience of using public services".
Impact said most of the recommendations "focused on senior management structures, performance-management systems, targets and the organisation of back-of-house services, with a hint of privatisation thrown in" and that these were "effectively more of the same approach we've had for the last decade".
The employers' group Ibec welcomed the "new direction" for public sector reform, but said that "the timescale proposed for staff reduction should be accelerated in line with best practice in the private sector".
Ibec director general Turlough O'Sullivan said that the time for analysis was over and that urgent delivery of realistic targets was required.
"Most private sector enterprises are taking tough measures to keep afloat in a severely competitive environment.
"Most public servants want to see reform and want to provide a quality service . . . They also see that the country simply cannot afford the cost of the present public sector pay bill. It is vital that this burden on all taxpayers is quickly reduced."
The Civil Public and Services Union, which represents lower-paid staff, said much of the content of the Government's reform proposals had been well flagged in the media and there were no surprises.
However, it said the devil would be in the detail and that June would be an important month when the special group reported with its detailed plans.
The Public Service Executive Union, which represents mid-level staff, said that it had no great difficulties in principle with the new proposals and it welcomed the indication by Taoiseach Brian Cowen that the Government would enter into talks on the reform plans.