Civil servants told to be ready for strike

The union representing low-paid civil servants has told its members to prepare themselves for industrial action if their pay demands are not met in the upcoming public-service pay talks.

Eoin Ronayne, general secretary of the Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU), told its annual delegate conference that the bulk of the union’s members are still waiting to get back to the terms and conditions they had in 2008, before austerity measures were introduced.

Mr Ronayne said there will be “trouble”, if unpaid hours in the civil service are not addressed in the public-service pay talks, which are due to begin in the next few weeks.