The Government is making a final attempt to start pay talks with trade unions on Monday, but both sides now believe a national public sector strike on Wednesday is all but unavoidable.
Ministers are expected to restate that they want to negotiate a new pay agreement covering about 400,000 State employees. The invitation will not set a date or time. Contact is expected to go through the public services committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).
On Sunday, Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless admitted the strike “probably will go ahead at this stage,” while still urging unions to engage with the Government to prevent it.
More than 300,000 public sector workers are due to stop work for 24 hours on Wednesday, October 14, although essential services will be maintained. A second one-day stoppage is planned for Wednesday, October 21. Senior union figures have privately warned that action could escalate in November if there is no progress.
The main obstacle is the order of talks. Unions insist that pay must be negotiated and agreed first, before other issues such as productivity are discussed. Government sources gave no sign that they would accept that condition. Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers has said there must be discussion about reform and value for money, and that unions walked away from talks after two meetings.
Money is also in dispute. In last week’s Budget, Mr Chambers set aside €1.2 billion for public sector pay rises. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the fund could be the basis for negotiations, but unions say it is not enough. Government sources have now pointed to a separate €1.6 billion contingency fund for spending that has not yet been allocated, and say part of it could be set aside for a pay deal. Some unions have said more than €2 billion will be needed. Some of the contingency money will also go towards the health sector’s overspend this year.
The previous agreement, covering civil servants, nurses, teachers, gardaí, local authority staff and Defence Forces personnel, expired in the summer. Kevin Callinan, chair of ICTU’s public services committee, said workers want pay rises for this year, assurances that wages will not fall behind living costs during any new deal, and increases to cover a gap of at least 5% between pay and inflation between 2021 and 2025. “All we have at present is an effective pay cut for next year, nothing for this year and a leap of faith after that,” he said.
Phil Ní Sheaghdha, general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, said it did not look as if the Government was serious about a cost-of-living agreement that could be put to a ballot and accepted. She said there was “a lack of trust among our members,” who have experienced agreements that were not implemented in the past.
The strike will hit families hard. Almost every school in the State may close, with INTO and ASTI members expected to picket school gates. The charity One Family said single parents will be affected most, with some having to use annual leave or give up shifts. Health workers from SIPTU, Fórsa, the INMO and the Irish Medical Organisation are also taking part, and for the first time, HSE dentists in the Irish Dental Association will join. Thousands of patients may see clinics, appointments and elective procedures disrupted, although ambulance and emergency services have largely been unaffected by past action.
Former Labour Relations Commission head Kieran Mulvey said urgent steps are needed by the end of next week at the latest, and warned that if the strike goes ahead it must not be allowed to escalate.
