Jack Chambers says public sector unions plan for strike day on 12 November 'extremely regrettable'

LAST UPDATE | 14 hrs ago

UNIONS REPRESENTING PUBLIC sector workers say they’re planning another 24-hour strike for next Thursday, as their dispute over pay has not been resolved.

The strike would coincide with the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Dublin on 12 November, and could be significantly impacted by civil servants being on strike. 

It follows an impasse in talks with the government, which concluded late on Friday night.

Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers has described the decision as “extremely regrettable” and added that it will “cause significant disruption to critical services that the public rely on”.

Chambers said that the parties involved are due to meet with government tomorrow and that his officials will “make themselves available to fully engage in this process”.

He added that “all matters under discussion remain under a Workplace Relations Commission led process” and because talks have yet to conclude, “all discussions will continue to remain confidential to the parties”.

Chambers said the government “remains committed to our system of collective bargaining in the public service” and added: “Government wants an agreement that gets the balance right by delivering a pay deal that is fair and credible to workers and is fiscally responsible and sustainable for the country.”

Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers participated in a nationwide strike in October.

It forced the closure of schools, the rescheduling of thousands of non-emergency hospital appointments, and the cancellation of driving tests and most court hearings.

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The public sector workers – including nurses, doctors, teachers and civil servants – launched the national strike after first engaging in work-to-rule action.

Unions had demanded that pay should be top of the agenda in the talks, with the government saying it would be discussed as a priority.

A planned repeat strike was suspended to facilitate talks with the Department of Public Expenditure but is now back on the table.

However, the general secretary of Ireland’s largest public sector union, Fórsa, said on Friday that talks at the Workplace Relations Commission reached an impasse. 

In a statement today, Fórsa said: “Preparations are now underway for a 24-hour work stoppage on Thursday 12 November.

“A rally in Dublin, alongside regional rallies, will mark the strike action and bring members together in support of a resolution.”

The union added that they will discuss “intensifying the current work-to-rule action and further industrial action” beyond 12 November.

While the strike would take place during the EPC Summit in Dublin, it wasn’t scheduled for 12 November for that reason.

Kevin Callinan, Fórsa’s general secretary, said they were driven by “logistical considerations”. He also said that the previous strike was on a Wednesday, and they felt they should vary the day of the week chosen. 

With reporting by the Press Association