Formal talks on public sector pay dispute to begin at WRC on Monday 

Oireachtas staff staging a strike outside Leinster House in Dublin. Picture date: Wednesday October 14, 2026.

The Government appointed group set up to assist with the resolution of the public sector pay dispute has said negotiations to start next week will address cost-of-living claims and commitments under previous pay agreement.

Formal talks will begin at Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Monday.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the group said discussions should initially focus on pay related issues, including trade unions’ claims over the cost-of-living impact between 2021 and 2025, this year and for the duration of any new agreement.

It said: “There is a need to rebuild trust and confidence in industrial relations in the public sector by addressing commitments made in the context of the previous agreement.

“In the event of an impasse being reached in respect of any matter during the negotiations at the WRC, we will remain available to consider any such issue at the request of the WRC and to put forward a means of resolution which should be accepted by the parties. In the meantime, negotiations on other matters will continue at the WRC”.

The development follows an intensive engagement process involving Kevin Foley, who was appointed by the Government to help establish a basis for formal negotiations, alongside Owen Reidy, nominated by the trade union side, and Oonagh Buckley, nominated by the employer side.

The group stressed that the arrangement was an exceptional measure reflecting the scale of the dispute and its impact on the economy and people who rely on public services.

It said the intervention was specific to the current dispute and should not be regarded as a template or precedent for any other industrial dispute.

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers welcomed the development, thanking the three members of the group for their intensive work.

He said: “I would like to thank Mr Foley, Mr Reidy and Ms Buckley for their intensive work today.

“Their statement provides the basis for a move into constructive dialogue at the Workplace Relations Commission to start on Monday.

“This is a positive move forward and demonstrates the genuine commitment to dialogue on all sides to ensure an outcome that delivers for our people and our country. I look forward to the formal talks commencing on Monday.”