Strike action deferred
'You wouldn't get a KitKat for the 1%' rise
A second round of strikes, involving hundreds of thousands of public-sector workers nationwide, was averted this week pending discussions on pay and productivity between unions and Government.
Thousands across Cavan and Monaghan joined a 24-hour national strike last Wednesday, October 14, that saw schools closed and non-urgent hospital appointments cancelled, among other impacts.
A second day of action, scheduled for today (Wednesday) October 21, was suspended following progress in talks involving the 19 unions affiliated to the ICTU Public Services Committee (PSC).
Last week’s pickets marked a significant escalation in a dispute that has been building since the previous public-sector pay agreement expired on June 30. A work-to-rule introduced on September 30 remains in place, with threats of further industrial action if agreement isn't reached.
The scale of Wednesday’s action drew comparisons with the major public-sector protest of 2009, when workers marched in Dublin against a proposed pay levy, cuts, unemployment and the handling of the banking crisis.
Outside Cavan General Hospital, workers from almost half a dozen unions gathered in protest at the proposed one per cent pay increase, which they say will do little to offset rising household costs.
“It won’t even touch the sides,” said one holding a placard reading: ‘Our dedication is priceless, our groceries are not’.
Many pointed to mounting workloads and worsening conditions, leaving staff feeling increasingly “undervalued”.
“We’ve already seen fuel protests and industrial action involving the National Ambulance Service, and now public-sector workers are taking action too,” said Ryan O’Hanlon, SIPTU shop steward at Cavan General Hospital.
“People have been joking today, you wouldn’t even get a KitKat for the one per cent,” Ryan told the Celt.
Brian O’Malley, lab manager at the hospital and a representative of the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association, also believes there is a growing “disconnect” between Government and frontline workers.
“People feel that the pressures they’re facing aren’t being properly acknowledged and that the response from the Government doesn’t reflect the reality of their circumstances.”
Increased demands
Geraldine Dolan, principal of Farnham National School near Cavan Town, has held the position since 2014. The INTO member describes the current situation facing school staff as the most difficult of her tenure.
With inflation eroding purchasing power, she said teachers are “struggling to keep pace” with the cost of living while managing increasingly complex classroom demands.
“Class sizes are far too large given the level of need among children today.”
Martin McGovern, of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, speaking outside St Augustine’s Hall, run by Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board, said workers wanted an “open and genuine discussion” about their concerns.
“Strike action isn’t productive for anyone, and if next week’s action goes ahead, workers and the public will face a further impact.”
Beyond pay
Tom O’Brien, chair of the Cavan branch of Fórsa, said civil servants working at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment’s Elm House offices helped maintain services during the pandemic but now feel their contribution has been “forgotten”.
He believes Budget 2027 failed to offer a “meaningful way forward” for workers facing higher mortgage repayments, grocery bills, fuel costs and electricity prices.
The impact on younger employees is particularly concerning.
“We need to address this properly,” he says. “One person I spoke with told me that, after paying all his bills, he had just €50 left at the end of the week to cover food and everything else.
“I asked him what that meant for his social life, and he said he didn’t have one because he simply couldn’t afford it. All we’re trying to do is put a little extra money in people’s pockets.”