Public Service Unions to Prepare Ballots as Pay Talks Process Stall

The Public Services Committee (PSC) of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has today (Friday) confirmed that its 19 affiliated unions will convene their national executive bodies to prepare for potential industrial action ballots, following the failure to establish a basis for talks on a new public service pay agreement.

The move follows last week’s exploratory meetings between officers of the PSC and officials from the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. Unions advised Government officials that they did not believe there was a viable basis for opening formal negotiations, as Government had not set out a sufficiently clear and credible approach to pay and living standards at the outset of the process.

The PSC said unions had argued that a pay increase is required to cover the period from July to December this year. While no specific claim has been tabled, unions noted that inflation was running at 3.6% in May, more than wiping out the benefit of the 1% increases paid in February and June.

Pay increases under Building Momentum and the first two years of the Public Service Agreement 2024-26 amounted to 15.75%, or 16.89% cumulatively. Average annual inflation over the same period totalled 20.8%, or 22.44% cumulatively. Taken together, this means pay has fallen behind prices.

The PSC acknowledged that lower-paid workers were rightly prioritised in recent agreements but said the gains had been overstated when compared with the increase in the National Minimum Wage, which rose by 34.05% between 2021 and 2026, or 40.10% cumulatively.

PSC chair and Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said the decision reflects the seriousness of the situation facing public service workers: “The Minister has said that everything is on the table and has attempted to characterise the union position as setting preconditions. That does not reflect our experience of the exploratory talks.

“What unions are seeking is clarity on pay before entering a wider process, because public servants have already seen pay fall significantly behind prices in recent years.

“There remains a pathway to engagement, but it must start with a serious and substantive approach to pay and living standards if it is to have any prospect of success. Important issues, including local bargaining, remote working, housing and artificial intelligence, also need to be addressed. Above all, designing a credible approach to pay is paramount if progress is to be achieved,” he said.

INTO general secretary John Boyle said teachers required a fair and sustainable pay framework: “Our members need a deal that reflects the real pressures they are facing. Cost of living remains a central concern, and that has an effect on the recruitment and retention of teachers, especially those in the early stages of their careers. Any agreement must recognise that reality, and address structural inadequacies in teachers’ pay scales, if it is to command support,” he said.

SIPTU general secretary John King said protections for public services must form part of any agreement: “Workers are clear that pay must be addressed, but also that public services must be protected. That includes strong safeguards against outsourcing, a commitment to investment in the services communities rely on, and agreement on the management of AI in the public service is absolutely necessary. Any talks process must indicate that these concerns will be taken seriously and reflected in the terms of any agreement,” he said.

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said nurses and midwives required both fair pay and safe working conditions, adding that unfinished business must be completed: “Safe staffing remains a critical issue for our members. Any future agreement must support safe, sustainable services while also addressing the cost-of-living pressures facing healthcare workers,” she said.

The PSC said unions will now begin the process of consulting members, with ballots expected to follow in the coming weeks. It said unions must also prepare for the possibility that there will not be an agreement for an indefinite period unless there is a change in approach that can support meaningful engagement.