ICTU has advised unions in the private sector to seek baseline pay increases of between 3.5 and 4.5 per cent in 2020, as labour market shortages continue to dominate the market. In response, Danny McCoy, chief executive of employers’ group Ibec, said the increases being sought by Congress “look too high.”

Siptu welcomed Pfizer’s decision to keep its Defined Benefit Pension scheme for workers, bringing an end to the negotiations between the trade union and pharmaceutical giant over several years.

Skills shortages in Northern Ireland are pushing up pay, a new survey reports. Faced with the harsh reality of industrial disruption in the health service, the Permanent Secretary Richard Pengelly offered a 2.1% increase in the pay bill to staff affected by the Agenda for Change initiative.

Robert Watt, secretary general of the Department of Public Expenditure has called for a mechanism to be set in place that would see underperforming civil servants being paid to leave their post.

Housing minister Eoghan Murphy survived a motion of no-confidence by three votes, averting a possible Christmas election, even as homeless figures surged to a record high.

Argos customers could face delays this Christmas as staff at a major distribution centre have voted to strike days before the holiday. Unite announced that the strike comes months after wrangling over pay.

Overseas, The World Health Organization warned of a "slide back" in global efforts to eliminate measles, as the death toll from an outbreak that has killed 55 children in Samoa continued to climb.

In a scrambling effort to overcome the problem of shortage of hospital beds, St. James Hospital in Dublin was seen offering cash prizes of up to €500 to its staff as part of a competition to help get discharged patients to vacate their beds early in the day. The move led to accusation of bad taste by many patients, and the hospital has since then apologized.

Today’s zen is surprisingly another Christmas playlist, brought to you by Robbie Williams. Enjoy!