Unions: Hold new deal talks or face a pay war

Trade union leaders have demanded that Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe opens discussions on a new public sector pay deal immediately or he will face a free-for-all pay war with workers.

The threat comes as Mr Donohoe and Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald are to face the ire of their ministerial colleagues at Cabinet today over the deal offered to gardaí.

Several ministers, including Simon Harris and Leo Varadkar, are among those known to be deeply unhappy at the potential impact of the deal on their budgets, with Mr Varadkar refusing to concede any of his resources to pay for the increased package for gardaí.