Further nationwide strike looms as public sector pay talks break down

Public sector workers including nurses, doctors, teachers and civil servants, took part in a 24-hour strike earlier this month (Brian Lawless/PA)

Talks aimed at resolving the public sector pay dispute have ended without agreement, with unions considering further nationwide strike action.

Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers took part in a nationwide strike in October.

A planned repeat strike was suspended to facilitate talks with the Department of Public Expenditure, but is now back under consideration.

The Public Services Committee (PSC) of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) is due to meet on Monday to consider holding another nationwide strike on Wednesday, November 11.

On Friday, the general secretary of Fórsa, Ireland’s largest public sector union, said talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), which began on Monday, October 19, had at times been “heated”.

Kevin Callinan, who is also chairman of the PSC, had said unions would be left with “no alternative but to escalate the action” if an agreement was not reached by the weekend.

As talks were adjourned shortly before midnight on Friday, a union spokesperson said: “Despite lengthy negotiations, we have reached an impasse.

“It does not appear possible, at this time, to negotiate an agreement that unions could confidently put to members in a ballot.

“We will reconvene with the affiliate unions of the Irish Congress of Trade Union’s Public Services Committee on Monday morning to update them on the negotiations, and to discuss our next steps.

“We also wish to thank the officials of the Workplace Relations Commission for their efforts.” 

Previous strike disrupted public services 

The last strike forced the closure of schools, the rescheduling of thousands of non-emergency hospital appointments, and the cancellation of driving tests and most court hearings.

Public sector workers, including nurses, doctors, teachers and civil servants, went on strike after first taking part in work-to-rule action.

Unions had demanded that pay be placed at the top of the agenda in the talks, while the Government said it would be discussed as a priority.