Public-sector wage demands could cost €1.6bn

Ictu president Kevin Callinan has issued a warning ahead of the public-sector pay talks. Picture: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus.

Public-sector wage demands could cost the State at least €1.6bn if agreed to by the Government.

The president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) Kevin Callinan has warned that public-sector pay talks will fail if the Government does not address the gap between pay and current living costs.