Trade unions say they will mount a campaign of resistance if the government acts on a threat to impose further public sector pay cuts following the rejection of the Croke Park agreement. Members of the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions have called for time and space to work out a solution to the current difficulty.
They are meeting today to formally ballot on the deal but there is no chance of its survival after SIPTU and the INTO rejected it yesterday.
The Taoiseach told the Dail that the government was united in its determination to make savings of €300 million in the public pay bill this year.
But speaking on the way into the meeting Patricia King of SIPTU and Jimmy Kelly from Unite warned that workers will resist any attempts to enforce pay cuts on their members.
"The outcome is that the membership have rejected the proposals and the same as any other normal industrial relations process, we expect that the employers won't impose it - and if they do I expect that it'll be strongly resisted" King said.
"We're now clearly saying to the government that we'll resist any attempt to impose Croke Park 2, and we're going to look at what the alternatives are to inflicting that sort of misery on public sector workers" Kelly added.
The decision by public sector unions to reject the Croke Park 2 deal was unanimously endorsed by the Executive Council of ICTU. In a two-line statement Congress said it is "committed to resisting any attempt by government to unilaterally impose pay cuts across the public sector."
The Taoiseach has meanwhile insisted the coalition will make €300 million in savings from the public service pay bill this year despite unions rejecting the deal.
And Enda Kenny has insisted there is a "unity of purpose" in the coalition to do this. He also backed embattled Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin, declaring the coalition is "absolutely behind" him.
The Taoiseach declined to answer questions from Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin on whether the coalition had a 'Plan B', instead insisting there was a need for time for the Government to reflect on the result.
And he hit back at the Sinn Féin Deputy leader Mary-Lou McDonald when she said the rejection was "a body blow to the austerity agenda" by telling her that Sinn Féin economic policies would be the "ruination of this country".
Watch the discussion of the union rejection of Croke Park II during Leaders Questions this morning.
Earlier the Tánaiste and Labour leader has rejected suggestions that the coalition will be damaged after unions voted down the Croke Park 2 proposals.
Eamon Gilmore has opened up the possibility that Minister Brendan Howlin will not follow through with his threat to legislate for pay cuts without agreement.
Speaking to Newstalk in Dublin this morning for the first time since unions rejected the deal Mr. Gilmore repeatedly stated that the ballot does not change the reality that €300 million in savings are required this year.
"We need time now to consider the consequences of that rejection ... so the Government will now have to consider the result of the ballot and see where we go from here" stated Mr. Gilmore.
He also opened up the possibility the coalition would row back from the threat from Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin to legislate for a 7% pay cut by saying "I think it's too early to be speculating on specific options".
And when asked if the coalition is damaged as a result of the rejection he replied "not at all".
He was speaking to our Political Correspondent Páraic Gallagher.
And the Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte refused to rule in or out any option for the government until they consider all options.
Video Courtesy of Fionnan Sheahan, Irish Independent
