Public servants ‘to prepare for industrial action’ over Government’s ‘failure’ to review pay deal

Siptu issued the warning this morning after talks broke down over wage hikes due under the current Building Momentum deal due to rising inflation.

Fórsa general secretary and Irish Congress of Trade Unions president, Kevin Callinan, has been adamant that strikes to disrupt the budget are not on the agenda.

The government offered pay rises that would mean public servants received increases worth a total of 7pc over this year and next.

Talks broke down without agreement when this was rejected by union negotiators last month.

Siptu said its members across the public service will begin a consultation exercise in advance of ballots for industrial action.

It said this was “over the failure of the Government to conclude an acceptable review of the pay provisions of the Building Momentum public service agreement”.

The union said the consultation will involve union members and activists in the health service, local government, education and the state sectors in the coming weeks.

John King, Siptu deputy general secretary, said that by refusing to re-engage with the Workplace Relations Commission to deal with the escalation in the cost of living, the government is in breach of the terms of the current agreement.

“The Public Services Committee of Congress invoked the provisions of the review clause on the March 11 2022 when inflation was at 5.6pc and when it was clear that the modest terms of the agreement, concluded in January 2021, were being completely eroded by the dramatic increase in the cost of living for workers,” he said.

“With inflation now running at 9.1pc, the Government’s failure to re-engage at the WRC is no longer tenable.”

He said talks at the WRC were deferred on June 17 when the Government side claimed it needed time to reflect.

“With the Dáil now in recess until early to mid-September, it is clear that it is not prepared to engage in meaningful discussions on the cost of living crisis,” he said.

“In these circumstances, we are now left with no alternative other than to ballot our members in order to protect their standard of living.”