'You wouldn’t even get a KitKat for the 1%'

Thousands of public-sector workers walk out in dispute over pay

Public services across Cavan and Monaghan continue to face widespread disruption today (Wednesday, October 14) as thousands of local public-sector workers have joined a 24-hour national strike. The workers are bringing grievances over pay, work conditions and the rising cost of living to picket lines across the region.

Teachers, nurses, healthcare professionals, civil servants and local authority employees are among those taking part, with unions saying the action is necessary as a means to force the Government to commit to a new public service pay agreement.

A work-to-rule, introduced on September 30, will remain in place even after today; and unions warn that further industrial action is possible, with the Public Services Committee scheduling another national strike for Wednesday, October 21.

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Today, outside Cavan General Hospital, workers from close to a half a dozen separate unions gathered to deliver a common message - that the proposed one per cent pay increase will do little to offset current rising household costs, while mounting demands in worsening conditions have left staff feeling increasingly “undervalued”.

Worker on the picket include members of SIPTU, the INMO (Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation), Fórsa, PNA (Psychiatric Nurses Association) and the MLSA (Medical Laboratory Scientists Association).

Sinéad and Elaine are representatives of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation in Cavan.

Elaine, an experienced nurse with a background in accident and emergency care, says patients can reasonably expect a “high standard” of treatment when they attend hospital. Yet staffing shortages and inadequate facilities are “limiting” what can be delivered.

Sinéad further questions how proposals around expanding round-the-clock services will work without the required diagnostic and support facilities in place to sustain them.

“Nurses already provide a 24-hour service,” Elaine tells the Celt. “The problem is that the wider system isn’t properly joined up.”

The representatives also raised concerns about student nurses and newly qualified graduates, with uncertainty over promised internships and subsequent contracts particularly “troubling”.

“If we don’t look after our nurses and support the people entering the profession, they’ll leave the country, as many are already doing,” says Elaine.

While emergency and other critical care arrangements have been prioritised, with some staff out on strike operating on a rotation shift in order to provide adequate cover, both representatives do acknowledge the consequences the strike action is having for patients awaiting treatment or specialist appointments.

“No one wants to be on strike,” states Sinéad. “We don’t take this decision lightly.”

‘Value of pay eroded’

Healthcare services associated with Cavan General Hospital, Monaghan Hospital and the wider community and primary-care network are also among those on strike.

Ryan O’Hanlon, a SIPTU shop steward at Cavan General Hospital, argues that the proposed one per cent increase falls well short of the additional costs facing many worker households.

“We’ve already seen fuel protests and industrial action involving the National Ambulance Service, and now public-sector workers are taking action too. It raises the question of what comes next. The Government is letting people down across the board.”

He questions too whether the sum promised in the Budget 2027 will have an impact.

“The €1.2 billion being discussed might sound like a huge amount of money, but when it is spread across more than 470,000 public-sector workers, it doesn’t go very far. It certainly won’t make up for a cost-of-living increase of 3.8%.”

“That’s the problem,” says Sinéad.

“People have been joking today, you wouldn’t even get a KitKat for the 1%,” says Ryan.

Frustration

Those frustrations are shared by Brian O’Malley, lab manager at Cavan General Hospital and a representative of the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association.

He believes there is a growing “disconnect” between Government and frontline workers, with many feeling that those making decisions do not fully appreciate the financial pressures facing staff.

For younger workers hoping to buy a home, the combination of rising living costs and limited purchasing power is particularly difficult, he says.

“There’s a huge amount of frustration,” said Brian “For many, getting onto the property ladder has become virtually impossible.

“There’s a huge amount of frustration, and I think today’s protest reflects that. 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.”