It is not just here in the Cayman Islands where cutbacks are the order of the day in the Public Service.

Here are two stories one from Northern Ireland and the other from Ireland (Eire)

Strike plans being drawn up

Tens of thousands of Public Servants in Northern Ireland are preparing to vote on whether to launch fresh industrial strikes in the new year in support of disputes over pay and conditions.

The executive of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has drawn up a timetable for voting among more than 250,000 of its members unless Government Ministers end their “attacks” on working conditions.

The union was pressing for an end to a pay freeze for Public Servants, pay rises of £1,200 (A$1,835) or 5 per cent, the introduction of the living wage on government contracts and no cuts to pensions.

PCS leaders were to meet again in January to assess the Government’s response and make a final decision on the timing of a strike ballot.

The PCS has warned of further cuts to PS budgets which it said would spark more job losses on top of the 63,000 that have gone since the Coalition Government took power in London.

“While we will seek meaningful negotiations, we cannot and will not sit and watch this Government undermine everything we have ever worked for, and we are committed to preparing for industrial action if necessary,” the General Secretary of the PCS, Mark Serwotka said.

“George Osborne’s disastrous management of our economy was laid bare in his autumn statement and we will continue to take every opportunity to oppose his government’s failing obsession with austerity, and to campaign for the alternative of investment to improve our public services and revive our struggling communities,” Mr Serwotka said.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.psnews.com.au/worldpsn3436.html

More jobs cut for PS

Up to 8,000 more jobs are set to be cut from Ireland’s Public Service by the end of 2014.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin said the changes were needed to bring about delivery of “world class” services, and to reduce the payroll bill by €1bn (A$1.23 billion) between 2013 and 2015.

Mr Howlin said 290,273 people were employed in the public sector, including local authority staff, and the Government wanted the number to fall by 3,200 by the end of next year to 287,000.

He said an additional 4,500 reduction was targeted for 2014, which would bring the workforce to 282,500.

The Minister said the public sector pay bill accounted for 36 per cent of all government spending and discussions were under way with trade unions about cutting the numbers.

“Reducing public expenditure and numbers while continuing to provide key public services and social supports is not easy,” Mr Howlin said.

“Notwithstanding the progress made to date, the Public Service pay and pensions bill, at 36 per cent of spending, will need to make an additional and substantial contribution to meeting our fiscal challenge in 2013 and beyond.”

He said detailed tables had been drawn up to show where the reductions would be made with most in the health service and local authorities, with 3,145 health administration jobs earmarked for abolition and 1,611 in local authorities.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.psnews.com.au/worldpsn3436.html