The Government sought Cabinet approval this week for legislation that will finally repeal the remaining provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Acts, the controversial laws that cut public service pay and pensions during the financial crisis. 

It was reported this week that Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers proposed to Cabinet to remove the last elements of the emergency legislation, which were introduced between 2009 and 2015 as the State grappled with recession and fiscal pressures. 

The move fulfils a commitment contained in the current public service pay agreement, which runs until June. FEMPI measures have been unwound in stages since 2015, with the final repeal expected to transition public service pay arrangements onto a normal statutory footing. 

In an interview this week with the Irish Independent, Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said former minister Paschal Donohoe had publicly agreed to a final unwinding of the legislation before talks on the current pay agreement began, but added there had been a “total absence of seriousness” to finish the job. 

Fórsa and other public service unions had sought the final unwinding of all FEMPI because the legislation was seen as an inhibitor to fully resolving issues already subject to localised agreement, placing additional pressure on the state’s industrial relations processes. 

Getting rid of what remains of FEMPI will allow industrial relations to return to pre-recession norms and should enable public bodies to exercise more autonomy on pay and local bargaining issues. 

The Government says the legislation will avoid fragmentation in pay structures and strengthen financial oversight, while marking the symbolic end of the emergency framework that governed public service pay for almost 17 years. 

Responding to the development, Fórsa deputy general secretary Éamonn Donnelly said the repeal was overdue: “Ending the remaining FEMPI provisions is the right thing to do and a necessary step, which is why we pursued this final unwinding as we negotiated the current public sector pay agreement.” 

“Public servants have waited far too long for the final removal of this emergency legislation that was introduced during the depths of the financial crisis. While we welcome the Government’s move now, it should not have taken this long to complete the process,” he said. 

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