THE executive of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) is to seek a new mandate from its members to enter talks on an agreement to succeed the Programme for Competitiveness and Work.
However, the ICTU general secretary, Mr Peter Cassells, said that any agreement must contain significant tax benefits for PAYE workers, greater freedom to negotiate pay increases at local level and special provisions for the low paid and unemployed.
The Government last night welcomed the announcement. A spokesman said the Government believed the progress achieved under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work "should be continued in the coming years".
It was important to note a significant increase" in real take come pay over the three year period of the PCW, he said.
"A balance must be struck between the level of taxation and she level of public services," he added.
The PCW has come under increasing criticism from a number of trade unions, particularly ICTU's largest affiliate, SIPTU. Delegates to a special ICTU conference in September will be asked to approve a motion which has been carefully worded toe address those concerns.
It represents a delicate balancing act. Congress not only tries to respond to complaints from public sector unions that they have been short changed under the productivity provisions of the PCW, but to those of private sector workers who feel they have been left behind in the pay stakes. It also seeks to maintain its traditional role as a champion of the poor and unemployed by raising issues of social exclusion.
Releasing the text of the motion yesterday, Mr Cassells described it as "comprehensive" and warned the Government that previous commitments on tax reform would have to be met in the 1997 Budget if there was to be any hope of a new agreement.
While the motion recognises the value of national agreements over the past decade it adds that the PCW "lacked flexibility and was interpreted too rigidly by employers. The tax relief provided for PAYE workers, especially in the 1996 Budget, was totally inadequate.
"Sufficient progress was not made on social welfare reform" "and "long term unemployment remains a major problem". It describes the quality of many new jobs on offer, especially to young people, as "below the minimum acceptable standards.
"Few employers have shown any commitment to developing local involvement and social partnership with unions at company levels", says the motion.
It calls for greater priority to be given to tackling social exclusion and helping thousands of families "trying to cope with the daily grind of poverty, drugs and crime that threatens the future stability and cohesion of Irish society.
"Too many issues in the PCW, especially in health and education, were left outstanding due to the failure of the Department of Finance to give other departments the necessary authority and resources.
The motion goes on to identify priorities in any new talks. Tax reform and access to profit sharing schemes was seen as an essential precondition for wage restraint.
But it also calls for greater flexibility in local pay bargaining to take account of increased productivity and profitability within companies. At the same time, it says, there should be minimum, standards for part time, temporary and contract workers and special provision for the low paid.
On the social partnership front it wants special measures to provide for greater disclosure of information by companies to their workers, "a greater say in decision making, including improvements in the working environment and providing for union recognition and the right to bargain".
Last night, the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation rejected the ICTU's claim that employers had shown inflexibility under the PCW.
The terms of the agreement had been "fully honoured", a spokesman said.
While IBEC would be taking its own decision in relation to new talks, he said that previous agreements had assisted in the significant growth experienced by the Irish economy.