Officers of the Public Services Committee (PSC) of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) met officials from the Department of Public Expenditure yesterday in a bid to address outstanding local bargaining issues under the now-expired public service agreement.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan led the union delegation, describing the engagement as limited in scope and relating only to the first phase of local bargaining measures that remain unresolved. 

Kevin said all parties understood the meeting did not represent a resumption of talks on a successor agreement, nor did it indicate any change in the current position regarding pay negotiations: “Yesterday’s meeting arises from ongoing efforts to address unfinished business carried over from the previous agreement. Members will be aware that, following exploratory discussions in June, unions concluded there was no viable basis for formal talks on a new agreement. That position remains unchanged.”

Local bargaining in the last public service pay agreement provided for claims or proposals of up to 3% of the payroll cost of a grade, group or category of workers. A number of claims for the first 1%, which were due to be finalised before the deal expired, remain unresolved.

Kevin added: “The objective remains to address outstanding commitments from the last pay deal. However, the effort to resolve those commitments is separate from establishing a credible basis for future negotiations.

“While unions have consistently pressed for the implementation of agreed local bargaining provisions, the wider context has not shifted. There is still no agreed framework for negotiations on pay or living standards, and no process currently in place that could support meaningful engagement on a new deal.

“Costs keep going up and rising inflation is wiping out pay increases. Consequently, our preparations for ballots for industrial action continue. We need to demonstrate how much this matters to workers. By voting for industrial action, Fórsa members can show Government that public service workers won’t be taken for granted,” he said.

The unresolved local bargaining claims are therefore being dealt with separately from the wider dispute over a successor agreement, while preparations for industrial action continue. The ballot of Fórsa members opens next Tuesday (4th August). 

Members can learn more about the ballot by visiting our ballot hub here.

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