Public pay talks go down to the wire
A question mark hangs over a planned strike, set to impact schools and hospitals among other public services on Thursday.
Negotiations on public sector pay are “ongoing” today with hopes of averting the strike action.
Engagement between workers’ unions and the Government Appointed Group returned to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) this morning, following lengthy negotiations last night that continued beyond midnight and appeared to deliver a much-anticipated breakthrough.
Chaired by WRC chief Kevin Foley, the talks centred on the Government’s improved pay offer of 10.5%, announced over the weekend. The overall cost of the proposed agreement is expected to approach €5bn over a two-and-a-half to three-year lifespan.
The matter has now been referred back to the WRC in an effort to finalise an agreement.
Earlier this year, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Jack Chambers, responding to a parliamentary question, said each one per cent increase in the public sector pay offer would cost the country approximately €437M.
That figure includes associated pay and pension costs, along with other potential funding implications.
Unions had previously rejected a Government offer providing pay increases of 7.75% over two-and-a-half years. The previous agreement, which delivered increases worth 10.25% over the same period, expired at the end of June.
Thursday’s planned strike action remains on the table until unions receive confirmation that a full agreement has been reached. In the meantime, workers have been encouraged to take part in rallies and demonstrations rather than stage pickets outside their workplaces.
Eight demonstrations are proposed across the country, running from 12pm to 2pm, with the largest expected to take place in Dublin.
Should the demonstrations proceed, they will coincide with a major gathering of world leaders in the capital as part of Ireland’s EU Presidency. Extensive road closures and traffic restrictions have already been flagged for the city, adding to the logistical challenges facing Dublin later this week.