Collins welcomes ratification of Croke Park agreement and Labour finally getting off the fence

Niall Collins Fianna Fáil TD for County Limerick has welcomed both the ratification of the Croke Park deal and the fact that Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has finally got off the fence and endorsed the agreement.

Deputy Collins said, “Despite initially welcoming the deal last March Deputy Gilmore subsequently tried to sit on the fence over the last couple of months saying “Let's have a bit of respect for the people who are a party to that agreement and let them conduct their ballot without having political parties trying to interfere in it"(Eamon Gilmore, Irish Independent, 7 May 2010).

“The Croke Park agreement will radically transform the way the public service works. Under the deal public servants have agreed to redeploy, retrain and adopt new work practices. In exchange the Government will ensure that pay rates will not fall and offers a mechanism for them to improve over time”.

“It is bizarre that the leader of the Labour party has tried to sit on the fence on an agreement which has massive implications for this country. For someone who declares himself ready to be the next Taoiseach, Deputy Gilmore has demonstrated absolutely no leadership on this issue which is central to bringing stability restoring prosperity,” concluded Deputy Collins