Fergus Finlay: Nothing will ever change while the Government sits on the sidelines

Our elected government has chosen a bystander’s role in the public sector pay talks. They were bystanders in the run-up to last week’s industrial action, and seem content to stay that way.

Public sector workers picket at Cork City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork City, last week. It seems that our elected government has chosen a bystander’s role in the talks process around public sector pay. Picture: Larry Cummins

I’m a bit mind-boggled. And I’m not even sure if that’s a word. It appears that long-awaited and long-demanded pay talks between public servants and their employer are starting this week. Except they’re not.

If they were, we’d have seen the public sector union leaders arriving at Government Buildings for a sit-down with relevant Government ministers, led by the Taoiseach, and welcomed around one of those long tables in the main meeting room on the first floor. (That room used to be called the Sycamore Room, because that’s what the table was made of. I haven’t been there for a while, but I presume it still is).