FAQs – National Strike 2026

A strike is a work stoppage. Simply put workers withdraw their labour and do not work.

It is a form of industrial action utilised to increase leverage and advance the union’s position in the ongoing dispute.

Strike action means withdrawing your labour for the duration of the work stoppage. Members should:

• Not attend work.
• Not work from home.
• Not access work systems.
• Not answer work emails, phone calls or messages.
• Not undertake work duties of any kind.

Two strike days are currently planned, Wednesday 14th October and Wednesday 21st October.

These are 24-hour work stoppages, which begin at your normal starting time.

All public sector unions involved in this dispute are planning to strike on the same days to ensure maximum impact.

Yes. Employers are formally notified of the industrial action by the union. This is a legal requirement.

New members are covered for the purposes of industrial action following the receipt of application. This means if you join before or during industrial or strike action you are protected to take part in the action.

The strike begins at each worker’s normal starting time. This is a 24hour work stoppage so if your shift begins before 23.59pm on Tuesday 20th October, your strike begins at 00.00am on Wednesday 21st October. This might mean that the strike begins in the middle of your shift. You should work your shift up to midnight and begin the strike at 00.00am on Wednesday 21st October. Pickets may be adapted to shift patterns.

Yes, this is a 24-hour work stoppage that runs from 00.00 on Wednesday 21st to 23.59. Work resumes when the stoppage ends at 00.00 on Thursday 22nd. Remember that the work-to-rule continues, as it is indefinite industrial action.

As a trade union member, you are protected when you take industrial action.

Sometimes ‘derogations’ are granted during industrial action. A derogation means that a certain type of work, or worker, is exempt from the union instruction. Usually these are only granted when maintaining the industrial action could have life threatening consequences.

For example, in the health service, when perfusionists went on strike for one day this year, a derogation was granted for emergency life-saving operations.

The employer must request a derogation, which will be assessed by the National Executive Committee (NEC), and the NEC will determine whether a derogation should be granted or not.

You should decline and inform your manager that you are taking part in a one-day strike action as part of the ongoing industrial action.

You should not work. You should attend a picket. If you live far away from your workplace you can talk to your local rep or official about attending a picket closer to home.

You should not travel. Inform your line manager in advance that you will be on strike on Wednesday 14th October and Wednesday 21st October and that you cannot travel for work on those days.

If your leave was booked and approved before the strike days were announced you can take your annual leave. Make sure your local rep is aware you will be on approved leave.

As you are on authorised leave, you are not working, therefore you cannot withdraw your labour. Do not log in to any work systems on the strike day. Consider showing solidarity with your colleagues if you can.

The work to rule continues. It is an indefinite work to rule, therefore after the strike on Wednesday 14th and 21st October, members should continue to follow the instruction as they have been doing since 30^th September.

Contact your branch representative if you know which branch you are in. Otherwise contact your division, and they will direct you to a local picket. Divisional email addresses are available below.

Civil Service [email protected] 

Education [email protected]

Service and Enterprises [email protected]

Health and Welfare [email protected] 

Local Government & Local Services/ Municipal [email protected]

A strike day is when you withdraw your labour as part of a dispute, and you demonstrate that you are doing so by taking part in a picket. You should attend the picket at your workplace.

Your local strike committee is establishing a roster for picket lines; you should be notified of the timing and duration of your shift on the roster. If you have an issue with the roster, or picket location, please raise this with your local rep or official. If, for some reason, you are unable to attend your workplace picket, if there is a local strike committee you should engage with the committee and agreement can be reached on joining a local picket.

Your employer will not pay you for a day you are on strike. Fórsa’s policy on strike pay is that it applies following the third consecutive day of strike. We will keep this matter under review as the dispute progresses.

Effective picket planning demands local knowledge. Local reps, committees and activists have taken a leading role in establishing pickets. For the most part, shifts will operate using rosters, however there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer. Familiarise yourself with your local arrangements. In most instances, members will picket outside their place of work, however some branches may hold joint pickets to bring together workers from smaller locations.

All members are part of a branch. Your branch may communicate with you to provide you with details of the picket you should attend. This information may also be shared with you centrally by Fórsa staff. If you have not received the information 24 hours before the strike, contact your divisional helpdesk. You can find out your branch on our website.

If there are last minute updates related to the picket you will be informed in the same way you have received other information related to the picket. If the strike is called off, all members will be informed as quickly as possible.

Generally, you should attend the picket at your workplace. However, we recognise that remote working has meant that some members live further away from their office location, and that it may be a significant distance to travel to the workplace picket on the strike day. If this is the case, please check with your branch or strike committee to see if it is possible to attend a picket closer to your home.

All grades represented by Fórsa employed in the civil and public service, who are covered by the previous Public Service Agreement for pay purposes, are to engage in strike action. There are very few groups that are exempt from this industrial action. Limited derogations have been granted for work that is considered critical or related to emergency services. If your work is in that category, you will have been informed.

Limited derogations for essential front-line services have been granted. There are also “advance derogations” for certain emergency services. This means that if a critical event occurs, certain cohorts of members will suspend their action to respond. These are only for life threatening circumstances or serious incidents. If your work is in this area, you will be informed.

You should not work from any location on a strike day. This includes working from home or working remotely. Working from any location is breaking the strike. You should join your colleagues on the picket line.

You do not need to inform your manager, they will be aware that the strike is taking place, as all employers have been informed. Wednesday 21st October should be recorded as a strike day.

We have created an out of office you can set on your email account on Tuesday before you finish work:

I am not working today because I am on strike on Wednesday 21st October. Over 100,000 civil and public servants who are members of Fórsa are taking industrial action in pursuit of a better deal. Show you support us by contacting your local TD. 

You are legally entitled to take industrial action, including strike action, if that action has been approved by a ballot of members. Being penalised for taking strike action can be considered victimisation for trade union activity which is not allowed.

We have set out guidelines which apply to conduct on a picket, which are available here. You should also read the Safety Statement for picketing here. 

On a strike day you should report to a picket.

When workers are on strike, they come together to picket the workplace. This builds visibility and public awareness and brings workers together.

Fórsa pickets will run from 8am to 4pm. Rosters will be in place so members can picket in shifts and to ensure there is a balanced number of members on the picket at all times.

Picket locations are determined locally by local strike committees/disputes committees. Your local branch or workplace rep should tell you where your picket will be located. Typically this will be outside your own workplace, or another workplace location where your employer operates.

You will be briefed at the picket line the specific guidelines of the picket you are attending, however, in general:

• The picket must remain peaceful.
• The purpose is to communicate information and peacefully persuade.
• Access must not be obstructed.
• Vehicles must not be blocked or surrounded.
• Members of the public must be treated respectfully.
• Unrelated businesses should not be targeted.
• Members should remain at the agreed picket location.
• Members should not enter the employer’s premises unless authorised.
• Any difficulty should be referred to the picket captain or designated union official.

A picket roster will be issued locally.

• Appropriate clothing such as comfortable shoes and layers.
• Weather-appropriate clothing (a waterproof jacket if it is likely to rain).
• Water and refreshments.
• Union materials such as flags and placards will be available.

If you are unfit for work, you should not attend the workplace or picket. Nobody is expected to picket against medical advice or where it would put their health at risk.

You are on strike and you do not work, but you should follow the medical advice and engage in the strike from home. Nobody is expected to picket against medical advice or where it would put their health at risk. Tell your local rep so you are not recorded as absent from the roster.

Please discuss this with your local rep. There may be coordination work you can undertake that will support the picket that does not involve standing for a long period. Do not put your health at risk.

Speak to your local rep. Please note as the picket is during working hours members will be expected to report to the picket.

We recognise that with schools closed members may need to bring their children to the picket line. Safety on the picket line is a key priority for everyone so please ensure their safety at all times.

You might like to bring signs for your children to hold.

The strike day is a 24-hour stoppage that runs until midnight. Members should not work at any point during it. Fórsa pickets will run from 8am to 4pm. Picket rosters will be established locally. You can also support your colleagues in other ways after your rostered picket duty. Talk to your local rep to find out what is needed.

Check local arrangements before the day, as this will vary by site

Rosters are being created by local branches, strike committees, and activists. These rosters will tell you how long you need to be on the picket. Arrangements will vary locally.

Yes. Your employer does not pay you for a strike day. Normally, employers treat it as a day of unpaid leave. If it is treated as unpaid leave, it means you won’t receive pay for that day. It also means a lower tax deduction in that pay cycle, so the net loss is smaller than the gross figure loss.

Fórsa pays strike pay following three consecutive days of strike.

If annual leave was approved before the strike was called, you should remain on approved leave. Members with questions about specific circumstances should contact their local representative or branch. As a trade union member, you will be expected to report to the picket on the strike day.