Public service unions step up action in pay row

TELEPHONES in all the Government departments went unanswered yesterday afternoon as public service unions ratcheted up their industrial action in protest at the pay cuts introduced in the last budget.

During last week the Civil Public and Services Union, the Public Service Executive Union and IMPACT trade union cut off contact between the public and a selection of departments as part of their campaign but yesterday afternoon was the first blanket ban.

Tom Geraghty of the PSEU said for the rest of this week the phone-ban would probably revert to selected Government departments but he did not rule out the possibility of a complete shut down once again.