Government urges unions to return to the table on public pay talks

(Left to right) Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, at the National Economic Dialogue in Dublin Castle today. Mr McGrath said that negotiation was the only way to find an agreement in the public sector pay talks. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

The Government has urged unions to return to the negotiating table on a new public sector pay deal.

Talks between the Government and trade unions on a new public sector pay deal ended on Friday without agreement. The Department of Public Expenditure had offered supplementary pay rises of just 2.5% for the period 2021-2022, despite expected annual inflation of at least 9% over the two-year period, the union negotiators claimed.