Talks aimed at resolving Ireland's public sector pay dispute have entered a second day at the Workplace Relations Commission, after Monday's opening session adjourned without agreement following about five hours of negotiations.
The first day gave both sides the chance to set out their positions in detail. Kevin Callinan, the general secretary of Fórsa, said the unions had gone through their priorities on pay at length with the WRC facilitators and had given them plenty to consider overnight. One positive, he added, was that both sides were committed to moving as quickly as possible, and that the urgency appeared to be shared.
Strike off, work-to-rule on
The unions have suspended the second national strike that had been planned for tomorrow, a week after more than 300,000 workers walked out in the largest stoppage in 17 years, closing schools and forcing the cancellation of hospital appointments across the country. Work-to-rule action, where operational, continues while the talks run.
Callinan struck a firm note on the shape of any deal, insisting the immediate focus must be an increase for this year rather than the figures pencilled into the Budget, given that the previous agreement expired at the end of June. He complained of spinning over the overall cost, recalling that only weeks ago figures close to 2 billion euros were being discussed for next year.
The Pay Talks at a Glance
- Talks between the Government and 19 public sector unions resumed at the WRC this morning.
- Monday's first session lasted about five hours and ended without agreement.
- Tomorrow's planned second national strike is suspended; work-to-rule continues.
- The Budget allocated 1.2 billion euros for a deal; unions believe the cost could reach 2 billion euros.
- A separate dispute has seen criminal defence solicitors withdraw all services, with about 90 unlawful detention cases now before the High Court.
The numbers game
The gap between the sides remains significant. This month's Budget set aside 1.2 billion euros for a new pay agreement, and the Taoiseach Micheál Martin has refused to be drawn on whether the Government would go beyond that figure, potentially dipping into a 1.6 billion euro pot of unallocated spending. Any deal, Mr Martin has said, must advance productivity in the public service, protect the low paid and represent value for money.
Jack Chambers, the Minister for Public Expenditure, described the 1.2 billion euro allocation as a starting point within broader discussions, and said intensive negotiations would continue over the coming days. The package, he added, had to be sustainable and affordable for Ireland while delivering value for taxpayers.
One dispute cools, another burns
Not every front in the state's industrial relations is quiet. Criminal defence solicitors escalated their separate campaign over the flat fee payment system introduced by the justice minister Jim O'Callaghan, withdrawing all services for the day on Monday. The action has already fed a backlog of cases and spawned almost 90 High Court claims alleging unlawful detention.
For now, though, the placards are stored away and the main event is in the WRC's conference rooms. The weekend's preparatory meetings, overseen by a Government appointed group led by the WRC chair Kevin Foley, produced a framework that put pay related matters first on the agenda, including the unions' claims on the cost of living between 2021 and 2025. Whether the facilitators can turn shared urgency into a number both sides can sell will become clear by the weekend.