Close to 63,000 members of the largest public service trade union have overwhelmingly backed industrial action in pursuit of a better deal on pay, following the expiry of the previous public service pay agreement on 30th June last.
Fórsa said 96.6% of members who voted supported industrial action, on a turnout of 72.6%. The union said the result reflects strong concern among public service workers about pay, living standards and the Government’s failure to put forward a credible basis for renewed engagement.
Industrial action by Fórsa public service members is expected to affect health, local government and education services, as well as Government departments and State agencies.
Fórsa said different forms of industrial action are likely to take place in different workplaces in the coming weeks, ranging from work-to-rule and the withdrawal of cooperation with overtime, and will include the possibility of full strike action. The union’s national executive (NEC) will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) to sanction the union’s plans for industrial action.
Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, who chairs the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said: “This result is an emphatic mandate from public service workers. The Government has left them with no credible option but to prepare for industrial action by failing to engage seriously on pay after the expiry of the last agreement.
“Our members deliver essential services every day. They did not take this decision lightly, but they have overwhelmingly backed industrial action because the current position is not sustainable. Fórsa remains available for meaningful engagement, but Government must come forward with a credible pay offer that properly addresses the cost pressures facing public service workers,” he said.
Fórsa said it will notify employers and relevant public bodies of the union’s next steps following tomorrow’s meeting of the union’s NEC.
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