Warnings of sustained industrial action against pay cut attempts

PUBLIC sector unions have warned they will embark on a long and sustained campaign of industrial action if the Government attempts to impose pay cuts and changes in conditions without agreement.

Union leaders met in Dublin yesterday as the ICTU Public Service executive to devise a strategy to oppose the Government’s planned pay cuts of more than 5% in tomorrow’s budget.

However the unions said their actions will not take the same form as previous one-day stoppages but will be decided after “sectorial discussions” between various unions.