Unions: Pay proposals 'a signal that workers should bear brunt of rising costs' 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin urged unions to return to negotiations.

Public sector unions have claimed Government pay rise proposals would have "signalled to employers that workers should bear the brunt" of rising living costs, after talks between the parties broke down.

As Taoiseach Micheál Martin urged unions to come back to the negotiating table, Irish Congress of Trade Union's (ICTU) Public Services Committee chairperson Kevin Callinan said Government proposals fell far short of 2021 inflation and projected 2022 cost-of-living increases.