Public pay: Ivana Bacik says Government must take action to avoid 'Defcon 1'

Labour leader attacks Government's 'inaction' on public pay, while Social Democrats leader highlights 'chaos' in criminal courts due to the new legal aid fee system

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the public pay imbroglio had arisen due to 'political choices made by the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over the last decade'. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins

The Government has been called on to take substantive action to avoid a "Defcon 1" scenario of public sector strike action.

Members of the opposition have strongly hit out at the Government's "inaction" in relation to a new public sector pay deal, which has led union Siptu to launch nationwide workplace consultations in preparation for strike ballots involving tens of thousands of members.