For most, the only statistic in the document that matters is the national pay award of 10% over 27 months. The figure has been condemned by small business as inappropriate, as has the absence of productivity agreements to underpin these costly arrangements.
Big employers will justify the deal on the basis that it provides a level of certainty but nobody will cheer it more than the superannuated public service. More money for nothing and Benchmarking 2 still to come. Competitiveness was not a subject that detained the negotiators for long.
Politicians are frequently criticised for short-termism but the length of this particular agreement looks like an attempt to put an end to government as we know it.
Not only does it have something to say on each and every aspect of economic and social policy, but the social partners have also identified a “clear role” for themselves in energising the Northern Ireland peace process. They have even included recommendations on arts, culture and sport, engaging in the type of central planning we associate with North Korea, not northern Europe.
The subversive nature of this document is such that any political party setting out a platform ahead of next year’s election is forced to do so with an eye to this agreement.
Advertisement
We have frequently complained about the democratic deficit in this process but it has taken the extended nature of the latest deal to wake the opposition from its slumber. The government has bowed to demands for a Dail debate but it’s too late. This is a done deal, the true cost of which won’t be realised for years to come.