‘Touch and go’: Public sector pay talks face crunch as unions threaten November strike

Unions are considering a nationwide walkout on November 11 if negotiations fail, potentially disrupting preparations for two major European meetings in Dublin

ICTU chair Kevin Callinan said: 'A draft agreement remains possible, but the Government has yet to put forward a credible offer, and it remains to be seen whether it will do so.'

The Government is facing increased pressure to agree a pay deal with public sector workers as unions threatened another disruptive all-out strike in November on the eve of the biggest event of Ireland’s European presidency.

Both sides were locked in negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) yesterday, with sources in the unions and Government warning that talks could last well into the night or into the weekend as no agreement could be reached on pay.

One union source said reaching an agreement was “touch and go”, while another said talks were at a “critical phase”.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has now told its members that if no deal is struck, another strike could take place on Wednesday, November 11, the day before Ireland welcomes 50 leaders to Dublin for the European Political Community (EPC) meeting on November 12, and an informal meeting of EU leaders on November 13.

This would coincide with a work-to-rule by members of the Garda Representative Association who would be responsible for policing the high security events.

ICTU chair Kevin Callinan said on Friday afternoon that the Public Services Committee will meet on Monday to receive an update on the pay talks.

If no draft agreement is available, it will consider a proposal to hold a nationwide strike, with the action taking the form of a demonstration in Dublin and “other demonstrations in major regional locations”.

In a separate communication to Fórsa members on Friday afternoon, Mr Callinan said that he will “continue to push for the best deal for members”.

"But I cannot be certain that we will reach that point this week, or indeed over the weekend," he warned. Mr Callinan said discussions at the WRC have been “lengthy and at times heated”.

“A draft agreement remains possible, but the Government has yet to put forward a credible offer, and it remains to be seen whether it will do so,” he added.

Government sources, meanwhile, said that while there had been “good engagement” on some issues, pay was still a sticking point.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Amid suggestions that a three-and-a-half-year deal could be on the table to ensure no more talks would have to be held before the November 2029 general election, Government sources said no decision on the length of the deal could be suggested or taken until the pay element was decided.

They also argued that this could lead to talks starting right before an election, something the Government would likely want to avoid. Government sources were not surprised at the statements issued by Mr Callinan, saying that this was “typical” during talks.

The ongoing work-to-rule across the public service meant that the monthly homelessness figures could not be released on Friday.

The Department of Housing said the action meant it had not received returns from the nine administrative regions which submit the data.

Social Democrats housing spokesman Rory Hearne said he understood that the data had been collected but not passed on to the department.

• Louise Burne, political correspondent