John Walsh: Proposal to cut working hours has dealt public sector reform a fresh blow

A seemingly irreversible agreement made during the bailout to improve public sector productivity has been thrown out in a move that demonstrates the difficulties of implementing real reform

Workers at the sharp end of the private sector, particularly in the gig economy, face increasingly precarious conditions while the public sector is largely cushioned

The news of the likely reversal of one of the key recommendations of the Haddington Road Agreement, which emerged last week, underlines how difficult it is to introduce public sector reform.

It also shows why it is unlikely to happen under any Irish government for the foreseeable future, notwithstanding the comments made by Mary Lou McDonald, the Sinn Féin leader.

To understand the significance of the recommendation made last Monday by the Independent Body Examining ...