Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers writes in the Irish Times: "As a good employer, we want to provide public servants with greater certainty about their pay in what are uncertain times," but that public sector pay claims “must be considered in the context of a wide range of competing priorities, including social welfare, health, housing and other essential public services.” Chambers' oped appears under the headline We’re ready to do a deal on public servants’ pay - and everything is on the table.

In the same paper, Pat Leahy's coverage includes a response from Kevin Callinan: “People will want to know how losses against inflation over the last five years will be addressed and how pay will relate to movement in prices over the duration of any agreement. "Without this it’s hard to see how a multi-annual deal is possible.”  

In the Business Post, Sarah McGuinness has been tracking developments. Her reports (20th June and 26th June) feature comment by Kevin Callinan while McGuinness published this analysis on Monday.

In the absence of pay talks, there is no process available now to address the perfusionists dispute, which will see a resumption of industrial action with a two day work stoppage from tomorrow (Thursday), and three consecutive days of action from next Monday (6th July). Fórsa members plan to rally outside the Department of Health’s offices on Baggot Street tomorrow from 12pm to 1pm. Expect some further developments on that dispute today.

In the Indo, Aisling Healy reports that the Oireachtas Budgetary Oversight Committee have recommended that the government link income tax bands to inflation in the upcoming Budget. 

Elsewhere, work-to-rule action by members in Oberstown detention centre continues, while workers in the cleaning, security and catering sectors will hold a rally in Dublin today to demand better working conditions and wages to mark the first day of Ireland's EU Presidency.

And in news that will surprise absolutely nobody, a new state-sponsored profit margin (to cost the taxpayer €681 million next year) for the burger barons means that restaurants and other businesses benefiting from the new VAT rate reduction taking effect are not expected to pass the cut on to customers. 

Your Zen moment this morning is a trailer for a new Irish-made documentary which looks the impact of over-tourism in a small and picturesque Italian town. Cinque Terre sits on Italy’s northern Riviera. Every year, fewer than three thousand locals contend with more than four million summer tourists. "Across one chaotic season, six very different lives play out in parallel, revealing a sharply funny and surprisingly tender story of paradise under pressure in the age of social-media driven tourism." 

Have a great day.

NS