Dear member,

I’m writing to you today ahead of the start of public sector pay talks this afternoon. As Chair of the Public Services Committee of ICTU, and  Fórsa General Secretary, I will be doing everything I can over the coming days to ensure that we get you the pay deal you deserve. 

We have a short window to negotiate a new deal for the 385,000 public sector workers in Ireland. 

Prices are still going up, despite talk of inflation slowing down. That just means that prices are going up more slowly, not that they aren’t going up. Pay increases over the last three years have not made up the gap between wages and the cost of living. 

That gap is felt most acutely by the lowest paid workers, so we want to make sure that any agreement looks after those public sector workers who earn the least. 

As you know in the past, we have successfully negotiated multi-year pay agreements, however this year we have accepted the invitation to enter talks on the basis that we will focus on trying to reach a shorter-term agreement that addresses cost of living pressures. 

Last week, all the public services unions affiliated to ICTU agreed that the kind of multi-year agreement we are used to only makes sense if the remaining elements of the emergency legislation brought in during the financial crisis are gotten rid of. These laws, often known as FEMPI, are hindering the work of unions.

This emergency legislation centralises control in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery, and Reform (DPER) to an excessive extent, which is stopping ordinary industrial relations progressing, even when there’s agreement between employers and unions.  

When sectoral negotiations on issues not directly related to pay are taking place, we are running up against constant blocks. For example, some of our members in Tusla have been denied access to a job evaluation scheme that is part of a 2013 Framework Agreement. Tusla and DCEIDY have argued that DPER must sanction access to the job evaluation scheme. 

When this level of central control is being exerted by one Department the statutory system of industrial relations, including the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court, and even in some instances, conciliation and arbitration schemes, can’t work as they are meant to.

We cannot continue with an approach defined by the financial crisis. Unions are being blocked from effectively representing members. So, we asked the Government to make a commitment to repealing FEMPI, but they told us they do not see where the problem lies. 

We don’t want our members to miss out on a possible pay deal because of this disagreement so we are going into talks today. But we cannot commit to an agreement that reduces our capacity to represent members over a prolonged period, that’s why we will focus on a shorter-term agreement. 

Now it’s time to focus on what can be agreed on. We want a fair, affordable, and sustainable pay deal for the public sector workers of Ireland who contribute so much to our country every day.

Last Friday, on behalf of Fórsa’s members I expressed our deepest sympathy to the parents and staff of the Coláiste Mhuire school community. Our office is just a short walk from Parnell Square, where the horrific attack on innocent children took place, and from where the scenes of appalling violence took place later that day. Last week’s violence doesn’t represent the people who live and work in the North Inner City. That's why, this afternoon, before we go to the WRC, the trade union movement will take part in a solidarity rally at 1pm at the GPO to demonstrate our support for the workers impacted by Thursday’s events and denounce violence.

As the pay talks progress, we will continue to update you. 

Thank you for everything that you do.

Kevin Callinan 
Fórsa General Secretary, Chair PSC ICTU