A ballot of close to 90,000 Fórsa members working across the civil and public service will open next week, on Tuesday 4th August, running until Tuesday 1st September.  

The ballot is taking place as there is currently no public service pay agreement in place, yet the cost of living keeps on going up while living standards fall. 

In the secret ballot members will be asked if they are willing to take industrial action to: 

• secure an acceptable pay increase to cover July to December 2026, as well as increases to cover 2027 and/or the duration of any proposed agreement. 
• for the resolution and implementation of Local Bargaining claims. 
• to resist changes to work practices, organisation of work, or organisational structures without the agreement of the union.  

Information meetings have been taking place across the country since the ballot was announced two weeks ago. A list of all meetings taking place is available by clicking here. There is also a package of resources available for members here, including a detailed FAQ, posters, leaflets and more. 

Emphasising the importance of high turnout, general secretary Kevin Callinan said: “This ballot is a critical opportunity to send government a message.” 

“By voting yes in this ballot, you can show the government how much this matters to you and that you won’t be taken for granted.” 

The secret ballot will take place online. Members will get an email from Mi-Voice, a secure, third-party ballot provider, on Tuesday 4th August containing a Unique Voting Code (UVC), which will allow you to vote. 
 

Director of membership Seán McElhinney explained that the electronic ballot allows members to vote wherever they are, which will make it easier for members working remotely or on leave to vote, while being fully secure. 

He said: “We use an independent third-party ballot provider called Mi-Voice, who are fully GDPR compliant. Throughout the ballot period we’ll be reaching out to reps, branches and members, to help increase turnout.” 

Seán concluded: “The question to ask everyone you meet in the weeks ahead is – have you voted yet? Get involved, talk to your colleagues, and let’s make sure our collective voice can’t be ignored.” 

Fórsa has produced a series of resources for members which you can access on our ballot hub here.

Join a union that wins. Join Fórsa.