A second one-day strike in the coming weeks is set to close almost all the country\u2019s schools as well as cause substantial disruption across the health, local government and justice systems.<\/p>\n
Teachers\u2019 unions will formally serve notice to the Government<\/a> on Tuesday of strikes on October 14th and 21st after leaders of the country\u2019s four largest public service unions met on Monday to consider escalation of their dispute over a new national pay deal.<\/p>\n Irish National Teachers\u2019 Organisation (INTO<\/a>) general secretary John Boyle said the unions had previously agreed there would be a one-day strike on the 14th with the 21st to be decided upon.<\/p>\n However, he said the lack of progress since a work-to-rule started across many sectors of the public and civil service last Wednesday had persuaded officials to press ahead with notification of the second strike.<\/p>\n The INTO and Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland<\/a> commenced work-to-rules on Monday, and Boyle said the experience of members with parents was generally supportive.<\/p>\n However, he noted children could not, in many cases, be dropped at schools before their official start time and had to, in many instances, be picked up immediately after classes finished.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the parents didn\u2019t understand why we are doing this, but it makes sense to people when you tell them we want these pay talks to be first and foremost about pay. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople do understand that, including private sector workers and the many parents who are public servants themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n [\u00a0\u2018They deserve to be on a good wage\u2019: Dublin parents back teachers on industrial actionOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n \u201cWe have three school weeks of work-to-rule, which is pretty much looking like it is going to be guaranteed. In that period, there\u2019s going to be two school closures. <\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s no doubt that by the time the 21st comes, and all these workers across the public service, teachers, nurses, guards have been taking action, the general public is going to be feeling it.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation<\/a>, Siptu<\/a> and F\u00f3rsa<\/a> are already engaged in the work-to-rule, with hospital doctor members of the Irish Medical Organisation<\/a>, teachers in the Teachers Union of Ireland<\/a> and members of Unite <\/a>among those set to join in the action and strike next week.<\/p>\n Boyle said that, while the unions were being accused of setting preconditions about any talks, \u201call we are looking for is certain assurances that it\u2019s not all about going forward into 2027, that there is some acknowledgment of the pressures that people are under in 2026\u2033.<\/p>\n