Pre-release: The Emerging Details of Snip
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Warning: This thread will be constantly updated by various writers as details emerge. Readers are free to point out anything we’ve missed in the comments section and we’ll subsume them into the post. It is written somewhat on-the-fly, so apologies for potentially poor English, we post first then edit.
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The Irish Times and Independent seem to have got their hands on some of the An Bord Snip report for today’s editions. Both papers have broadly the same information. There isn’t much on health and the two reports vary on the number of public service jobs will fall from the public sector wage bill (Irish Times – 17,000 Independent – 20,000) in the next three years. IMPACT have already said these cuts will result in strikes…
Ireland’s largest public service union, IMPACT, today (Thursday) warned that it will respond with industrial action, including strikes, if the Government attempts to impose public service pay cuts, pension reductions or compulsory
redundancies.
SIPTU, in response to the ERSI report, which is also out today and chi
mes with the public service reduction in numbers reportedly contained in Snip, said…
“Pay cuts will solve nothing. They will actually exacerbate the downward spiral by further reinforcing the deflationary spiral.
“The medium term key to a path to recovery is releasing the savings that are being hoarded to an unprecedented degree because people are frightened regarding their jobs, their incomes, their pensions and even the retention of their homes.
There are no details on whether the report recommends losing these jobs through natural wastage or on top of natural wastage either. Lenihan is saying it will be through natural wastage, which is somewhat laughable. As Veronica points out below, it’d be almost impossible to remove 20,000 jobs from the system through a complete recruitment freeze.
Social welfare information is more solid with both papers reporting the Snip recommends a cut of €1.5bn – the main payments in the cross hairs is the half-rate carers’ allowance and widow(er)’s pension. Also targeted, according to the papers, is child benefit and community development schemes. It goes without saying that child benefit is the most toxic area on the political landscape.
The Ombudsman for Children’s Office understands that the report of An Bord Snip Nua contains a proposal to merge the Ombudsman for Children’s Office with other organisations and to subsume this collective within the Office of the Ombudsman, according to a press release at 11am. They say that such a move would indicate that the Government has not learned any lessons from the Ryan Report.
The Department of Community, Rural and Gaelteacht Affairs – known as Craggy island within the civil service – is to be merged with Arts, Sport and Tourism, under the proposals. No details on where the civil services would go though.
IDA and Enterprise Ireland to be amalgamated, according to the Independent.
The only details on education are from the Times, it says small rural schools are to be merged. It also says State lands should be put under the management of the IDA and sold when the market improves – if that happens those lands will be rife for corruption in five years time.
The Government is putting the predictable spin on it already – “these are only recommendations, they’ll have to be discussed, you’re all getting ahead of yourselves”. To be fair, they have a point but it should be noted that the report covers €5bn worth of cuts, not the €3.5bn that the Government supposedly asked for – the likely case is that the Government instead asked them find the maximum amount of savings and they’ll pick and choose the bits they find least politically toxic. So, they’ll be spinning like tops all day today.
Recommended media consumption for Snip addicts:
All day: The Irish Election #Snip Liveblog
News at One on RTÉ Radio One
Lunchtime on Newstalk from 2pm
The Last Word with Matt Cooper from 430pm
RTÉ Six One News at 6pm
RTÉ Nine o’clock News at 9pm
Prime Time on RTÉ One at 930pm
Nightly News with Vincent Browne on TV3
>The Department of Community, Rural and Gaelteacht Affairs – known as Craggy island within the civil service – is to be merged with Arts, Sport and Tourism, under the proposals.
Back to the department of Craic and crack it so!
Mark,
On the jobs cuts figures – as far as I know 20,000 is about right for the numbers that will leave the public service through retirement, moving on to something else or whatever. Theoretically, a complete ban on recruitment will deliver the numbers required, except that it would be impossible to proceed in that way. Reform of the public service is far more interesting.
Government might start the cost cutting in Leinster House.
A change in the Constitution to reduce Dail representation to 1 TD per 100,000 of full-time adult residents would save millions annually, particularly in dupicated/triplicated pensions.
They might follow this by abolishing, by law, all so-called “Political Donations”. These have been the main springboard for the explosion in the cost of building land, which in turn has fuelled wage demands, as mortgage and bank lending got out of control.
“Lead from the front” used to be the battle cry of generals.
In this instance, it would be by example. Cowen must grasp the nettle, boldly, without fear of any political fall out.
It may well be that he is afraid of O’Connor, Begg and the other bully boys in the unions.
His predecessor had no such fears. They were his best buddies, to whom de Bert capitulated on every occasion.
Those days are over. Blackmail must be met with prompt action.
If O’Connor follows his rant, threatening strikes, union funds must be sequestered & placed under the control of the Labour Court & the Central Bank – for the benefit of the members – not for Begg & O’Connor and their fat pay cheques and expenses.
Without the union funds, Begg & the rest of the beards are powerless – All Wind and Water, like the Barber’s Cat.
I would like also to see the public representatives and public service salaries being linked to the average wage in private sector, so it would be updated automatically and will align their personal interests to the general interests.