Irish Pay Talks Continue as Unions Hold the 12 November Strike

The talks that are not yet talks continue this morning. Trade unions and government officials will again meet, separately, the steering group chaired by Kevin Foley, chair of the Workplace Relations Commission. A spokesperson for the Department of Public Expenditure said the process remains under way, and that both parties have been asked to think further about what is being discussed. Officials, the department said, will keep themselves available "to engage intensively and constructively" with a view to resolving matters without undue delay. That is an invitation. It is not a new offer.

The offer already rejected is worth 7.75 per cent over two and a half years. On the account given to RTE, that is 1.75 per cent for this year, backdated to July when the last deal expired, then increases through 2027 and 2028 worth 5 per cent, plus 1 per cent for local bargaining. The Irish Times puts the same headline another way: 6.75 per cent in instalments over 30 months, and a further 1 per cent for local bargaining towards the end. Reports differ on whether the first increase is backdated to July or dated from 1 November. They do not differ on the union answer. It is no.

What the unions say is missing

Kevin Callinan, the chief negotiator, said after Monday's meeting of the public services committee that the government had not responded sufficiently on the cost of living, and had not stepped up on local bargaining. Unions expected that local pot to be 2 per cent, which they say the last agreement provided for. The low-paid measure is also absent. The last deal guaranteed minimum increases for people earning under 50,000 euros a year, and lifted the lowest-paid well above the headline percentage. Forsa and Siptu, the two largest unions in the dispute, both have members close to the minimum wage. There is no equivalent floor in this offer. One account put the cost of the package at 3.5 billion euros. Union sources told the Irish Independent that inflation near 4 per cent would consume the rises before 2028.

Thursday week is still in the diary

The stoppage was moved to 12 November so that it falls on the European Political Community meeting, not because a deal is close. All three teachers' unions had authorised it by Monday evening. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation was expected to follow on Tuesday. If it goes ahead, schools close, hospital appointments are cancelled, and courts and driving tests slip. There will be a demonstration in Dublin and smaller rallies elsewhere. After the day, unions say they will tighten the work-to-rule already running across the public service. The Irish Independent reported an expectation of new directives from 16 November that would hit after-school care.

The Tanaiste, Simon Harris, said on Tuesday that the government was trying to find a solution. Tuesday's separate meetings with Foley's group, which also includes Oonagh Buckley and Owen Reidy, ended without one. Sources told the Irish Independent there had been some improvement in the government position, and that they were sceptical it would be enough to call off next week. The second strike of the dispute, after 14 October, was suspended once so that talks could happen. Those talks reached what the unions called a significant impasse on Friday night. Wednesday is another day of the same corridor, with eight days left on the clock.