The Irish Government has put forward a revised public sector pay offer that it says is considerably better than its previous proposal, as unions prepare to stage a nationwide 24-hour strike next Thursday, according to RTE.ie.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Government's position had changed markedly and urged all sides to work towards a resolution in the coming days. He made the comments on RTÉ's The Week in Politics and later at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Cork, RTE.ie reports.
The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, speaking in County Fermanagh, said the improved offer gives the parties a realistic chance of reaching a deal. He said the Government wants to give particular attention to lower-paid staff while also taking account of inflation and the cost of living for families, and that he believes the proposal addresses both concerns.
Why it matters
More than 300,000 public sector workers took part in a 24-hour stoppage last month after talks on a new pay agreement stalled, and another walkout is scheduled for Thursday. A strike that day would overlap with a major gathering of world leaders in Dublin held as part of Ireland's EU Presidency, putting additional pressure on the Government to settle the dispute quickly.
The outcome will also shape pay levels across schools, hospitals and other public services, and it will be measured against the previous agreement, which was worth 10.25% over two and a half years and ran out at the end of June.
Unions seek a better deal than last time
Kevin Callinan, General Secretary of the union Fórsa and chair of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' Public Services Committee, said unions are seeking terms more generous than the last pay agreement. In a message to Fórsa members, he described the current process as very difficult and said preparations for Thursday's stoppage and the associated rallies are well advanced.
It is understood that unions turned down a Government proposal of 7.75% over two and a half years. The Government has since said its revised offer is substantially improved, though the full details have not been made public.
Harris said nobody wants to see further disruption, including school closures or cancelled hospital appointments, and he asked unions to consider the new proposal seriously. He argued that the offer represents a genuine attempt to ensure public service work pays a decent wage.
Talks continue through the weekend
Government representatives and trade unions spent several hours on Sunday with a group appointed by the Government and chaired by Kevin Foley, who chairs the Workplace Relations Commission. The session was adjourned for the day, and engagement is due to resume on Monday in an effort to find a route back into formal negotiations.
Harris said he wanted to encourage intensive engagement and insisted Thursday's strike is not unavoidable, pointing to the remaining days before the walkout as a window for an agreement.
As part of the industrial action, workers are being asked to join rallies rather than mount pickets at their workplaces. Eight demonstrations are planned from 12pm to 2pm, with the biggest in Dublin, where striking staff may march from O'Connell Street to Government Buildings, though organisers said the arrangements are still being finalised. Rallies are also set for Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Sligo, Tullamore and Letterkenny. Extensive road closures and traffic restrictions are expected in the capital because of the European Summit.
Unions have said that after Thursday they will step up the work-to-rule action already in place across the public service and will consider further measures. Callinan said future action could include rolling strikes in individual sectors.
What to watch: whether Monday's talks with the Government-appointed group produce a return to formal negotiations before Thursday's strike, and whether unions respond to the revised offer.
