Jack Chambers: Pay can be starting point in union negotiations

On RTÉ's 'Prime Time', the public expenditure minister said pay can 'absolutely' be discussed first with trade unions

Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers talking to media ahead of Tuesday's Cabinet meeting at Government Buildings in Dublin. Picture: Cillian Sherlock/PA

Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers has said that pay can “absolutely” be discussed first with trade unions as part of public sector pay disputes.

However, unions have said that the comments have come too late and Wednesday's strikes will take place.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Prime Time, Mr Chambers said pay could be a “priority” if unions engaged with Government.

When asked if pay could be discussed as a “starting point”, Mr Chambers said “absolutely”.

“That's being put out there as a deflective mechanism to actually continue this escalation," he said.

I'm absolutely clear. Of course, these discussions are all going to be about pay. 

"I mean, pay is clearly a central matter of why you have a multi-year [agreement].” 

When the comments were put to Adrian Kane, Deputy Secretary General of SIPTU, who was also appearing on Prime Time, he argued it was too late.

“No, the strike isn't off,” he said.

“Certainly it's not quite the 11th hour, I think it's the 10th hour before the strike starts at 12:01am.

“I disagree with the minister's description to say that this is somehow a deflective issue with regard to pay being discussed first. It's about a cost of living crisis of thousands of workers.” 

Mr Kane said it was “very late in the day to be putting that on the table”, and it would have been “a lot more helpful” to put this idea on the table in June, when the old public sector pay deal expired.

Mr Chambers said that “all I’ve asked for from the get-go is that we have talks”.