The contribution made by public servants to the recovery of the Irish economy has been recognised in the agreement, however it is cautioned that there still remains significant challenges and risks to the economy such as Brexit.

While much of the discussion focuses on pay and pensions, the CIPD in Ireland welcomes the inclusion of work–life balance in the agreement with a particular emphasis on maintaining female participation in the labour market and achieving gender balance in career progression. The draft agreement also provides for the establishment of mechanisms to monitor progress in relation to gender balance in career progression.

The draft agreement states that robust performance management and individual accountability are essential in the public service. It has also been outlined that compliance with the agreement requires that performance management must be fully implemented in those areas where it isn’t currently in existence. The CIPD in Ireland urges that this be a meaningful experience for managers and employees, with an emphasis on strengths and development.

The agreement refers to the professionalisation of employees through reskilling in the areas of ICT, HRM, finance and project management. In this context, support through reskilling should also be provided for the people managers engaging in performance management activity. CIPD recently carried out research on performance management exploring the complexities of goal setting and appraisals. The findings and recommendations can be viewed here: Could do better? Assessing what works in performance management.

The proposed draft agreement will have to be considered and voted on by individual trade unions and staff associations before it can be ratified, likely to take place in September.