Threatened industrial action by craft workers was sharply criticised by the Minister for Finance. "There is no basis for any group to resort to industrial action in pursuit of their claim," Mr McCreevy said in the Dail.
People should be aware that it was "the craft unions who refused to abide by normal industrial relations procedures" when direct discussions on the claim failed to reach agreement.
Instead the unions, which want an increase of 10 per cent or £27 a week for work in the local authority and health services, "decided to ballot their members on industrial action".
During a debate on the Estimates, Mr McCreevy warned that threats of industrial action "fly in the face of" the industrial peace clauses of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work and Partnership 2000. They also ran contrary to "the agreed procedures for dealing with disputes set out in the PCW and Partnership 2000".
Mr McCreevy said Partnership 2000 was implemented on July 1st this year and would run until September 30th, 2000. "It provides for general round increases totalling 7.25 per cent plus a locally negotiated increase of 2 per cent."
This increase would not be payable in the public service before July 1999 and payment "will be conditional on the achievement of verified progress to a satisfactory level" on the implementation of the public service modernisation programme.
"It is essential that the terms of Partnership 2000, including the explicit limit on the cost of local bargaining increases, are adhered to within the public service if we are to continue to manage our economy in a balanced and responsible way, to the benefit of all," he said.