The Business Post reports negative reaction from business groups to ICTU's call for pay increases of 4-6% in the private sector, while the Irish Times reports that the extension of child benefit to 18 year olds in full-time education is to be brought forward earlier than planned, under a revised approach going to Cabinet today.
Elsewhere, the Indo reports that the opening of the new community hospital in Ballyshannon has been delayed due to an ongoing dispute between staff and the HSE, while Donegal News reports that agency staff spending over a three-year period for Letterkenny University Hospital exceeded €26 million, and has been described as “unbelievable.”
Meanwhile, Cork city’s climate action plan was adopted in a full meeting of Cork City Council last night, and Fintan O'Toole makes some keen observations about contradictions in new State pension policy as he turns 65.
In the same paper, Eoin O'Broin writes about the new Planning Bill, and says "Few stakeholders are happy with a Bill that won’t speed up the planning process, further centralises a top-heavy system and fails to prioritise the climate emergency."
In UK news, Amazon workers in Coventry have gone on a three-day strike in a long-running dispute to secure £15 an hour and union rights.
Zen
Your Zen this morning was the most viewed news story on the Irish Times website yesterday. Aussie legends AC/DC will wrap up their European tour with a Croke Park date in August. They were a band whose logo (hand drawn in black marker) graced 90% of Irish canvas schoolbags in the 1980s...including mine.
Like