A public sector strike is set to go ahead in Ireland on Wednesday after unions rejected a minister's latest attempt to bring the dispute to the Workplace Relations Commission, The Journal reports.
RTE.ie has reported on the likelihood of a large-scale walkout and outlined the services expected to be affected. The Irish Examiner reports that schools and hospitals will be hit, with tens of thousands of workers due to take part.
The dispute centres on pay. Sligo County Council has backed its staff ahead of the action, stating that local government workers deserve fair pay, according to the Irish Independent.
The Workplace Relations Commission is the state body that handles conciliation and mediation in employment disputes. Its involvement had been put forward as a route to resolving the row, but unions declined that offer, leaving Wednesday's strike on course.
The scale of the planned action is significant, with the Irish Examiner describing tens of thousands of workers preparing to walk out. RTE.ie has also examined what the public should expect when services are disrupted.
What to watch next: whether the two sides return to talks before Wednesday, and how schools and hospitals manage the impact if the strike proceeds.
