Discussions on a new national pay deal will intensify next month, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil.
"It is hoped that we can move on the commencement of the talks shortly. The terms of the pay agreement for the private sector under Towards 2016 are due to expire shortly. I expect that the next plenary meeting,which will review the agreement this month, will provide the basis for the initiation of formal talks, including those related to the new pay round," he said.
"The preliminary discussions will take place during February and it will be into March before we get into the serious discussions on the issue, but a lot of preparatory work hopefully will be done if we get agreement at the February talks to enter into them." Replying to a series of Opposition questions, Mr Ahern said that implementation of the benchmarking report would be discussed by the public service employers and unions.
"In preparing for the forthcoming negotiations, it is important that expectations are kept in line with the economic realities we face here and that are being faced throughout the organised world."
Asked about nurses' pay, Mr Ahern said the national implementation body's intervention in their dispute was timely and produced comprehensive proposals to address the issues that were in dispute at that stage.
"Nurses were not promised that benchmarking would deliver a pay increase - nobody was. Rather they were told that it was the proper way to have their claims addressed."
