Renewed efforts by Government to get trade unions into talks on a new public sector pay deal have been dismissed as \u201ctoo little, too late,\u201d by the general secretary of the largest union involved in the dispute.<\/p>\n
More than 300,000 public-sector workers are set to participate in the one-day work stoppage scheduled for Wednesday, with another scheduled for Wednesday 21st. Unions representing the workers want pay issues to be dealt with first as part of any engagement. The last public-sector pay deal expired in June.<\/p>\n
General secretary of F\u00f3rsa trade union Kevin Callinan said the union side was already looking beyond tomorrow\u2019s strike: \u201cWe\u2019re as much focussed on next week\u2019s strike as tomorrow\u2019s and, indeed, beyond that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking at lunchtime, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers criticised union leaders, saying that \u201cstrike action should be a last report, not a first resort\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said that the Government was willing to agree pay increases for public servants but that the \u201conly way we can deliver this if trade union leaders get around the table\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe public pay and pensions bill has grown by over \u20ac12 billion in a six year period \u2026 The last pay agreement delivered over 9 per cent for public sector workers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe public will see such levels of disruption because the trade union leaders won\u2019t negotiate,\u201d he said, appealing to union leaders to \u201creflect on this and not put the country through this\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked about suggestions that the Government might appoint an independent mediator, Chambers said he was \u201copen to wider suggestions to move forward\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement early on Tuesday afternoon, the Government had said it was \u201cavailable\u201d to \u201cimmediately enter intensive talks\u201d at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and Chambers subsequently said this is where he would like to see talks take place.<\/p>\n
After a briefing by Chambers and discussion among Ministers at this morning\u2019s Cabinet meeting, the Government said that at a \u201ctime of great uncertainty\u201d, the best way \u201cto reduce uncertainty for public servants is for public service unions and associations to enter talks to reach a clear agreement on public service pay\u201d. <\/p>\n
Callinan dismissed claims in the Government statement and by Chambers that pay increases over the past six years had broadly matched inflation with lower paid workers receiving increases above it. <\/p>\n
[\u00a0Q&A: Who is going on strike on Wednesday and why?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n \u201cBetween 2019 and 2025,\u201d it said, \u201cpublic servants received pay increases of 22.5 per cent, broadly matching considerable price increases over the period. The lowest-paid public servants saw increases of 36 per cent over the same period, significantly ahead of inflation. The most recent agreement, the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, delivered cumulative pay improvements of 9.6 per cent against inflation of 6.6 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n Responding, Callinan, who also chairs the public sector committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said Chambers and the government side were \u201ccherry picking figures\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cIf he wants to do that we can identify figures that show clearly the pay of civil servants has fallen behind not just inflation but the workforce generally and the broader economy by a long margin.\u201d<\/p>\n Chambers earlier said the planned strike was \u201creally unfair\u201d on the public. He and other senior Coalition figures, including Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin<\/a>, expressed concern about the impact it would have on the members of the public as key services are disrupted.<\/p>\n Efforts by the Government in the wake of the budget, including a letter by Chambers to union leaders on Monday calling for an \u201cintensive process of engagement as soon as possible\u201d, had been swiftly rebuffed. <\/p>\n Chambers said in his letter that the provision of \u20ac1.2 billion for public-sector pay in the budget was \u201csignificant\u201d and \u201cpay issues can and should be discussed as a priority alongside other matters as part of the pay talks\u201d.<\/p>\n The unions promptly rejected the contention that the figure provided a basis for progress and have accused the Government of contributing to the dispute reaching this point by taking so long to start preliminary talks on a new pay deal when the previous one expired in June.<\/p>\n [\u00a0Who is affected by the public sector strike and can it be averted?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n The Taoiseach separately outlined measures in the budget for workers including income tax cuts, expansion of public-service worker numbers, a planned cut in the cost of childcare<\/a> and supports for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a very strong platform upon which to build in terms of public-service pay negotiations. <\/p>\n