Dear members,

I’m writing to update you on the public sector pay talks, which adjourned at 3am this morning.

The offer put on the table by government failed to meet the basic test of dealing with the cumulative gap between wages and inflation – amounting to almost 19% over the last three years.

Throughout this process we have been clear that any agreement must address the cost-of-living pressures our members face on a daily basis.

The Minister has stressed that the monthly rate of inflation has slowed – but that does not mean costs aren’t going up. 

The first offer made last night would have put little more than an average of just €5 per week, before deductions, in the wages of low-income public service workers, and €10 per week in the wages of those on middle-incomes in the first year. There was shock in the room when this offer was made. That offer did not include any payment before June 2024.

The revised offer of 7.5% plus 1% local bargaining, which would begin with a 1.5% increase from 1 March 2024, remains very far from addressing the shortfall between wages and inflation.  

Public sector workers show up for our country and our citizens every day. They deserve to be treated with respect and an offer like this is neither fair, nor credible.

The Government has effectively undermined its own approach to negotiating a multi-year public service pay agreement. There have been months of delays, and they have allowed Building Momentum to lapse, which puts us in an unprecedented position.

You may well be wondering what happens next. This morning the officers of the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions met with affiliate and non-affiliated unions and associations. At these meetings we agreed ballot wording. Should it become necessary we are poised to begin a ballot for industrial action.

Nonetheless, we remain ready and available to continue negotiations, our members deserve nothing less than our full commitment to pursuing a decent deal. I will continue to update you over the coming days.

Yours,

Kevin Callinan

Fórsa General Secretary

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