Unions warn of potential public sector strikes if pay row not resolved
Kevin Callinan, president of ICTU, said: “Workers don't cause inflation, they're the victims, workers and their families are the victims of inflation.” File picture: Maxwells
The president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Kevin Callinan, has said that any concessions for workers in the forthcoming Budget would not be of benefit until next year while his members needed action now.
Mr Callinan told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that ICTU had been very patient, but that patience had now run out and they required a fair deal from the Government.
He was speaking in the wake of reports that the unions are considering potential strike action around budget day in September in a move sure to crank up pressure on the Government over the pay deal.
Talks at the Workplace Relations Commission failed to bring an end to the dispute and Mr Callinan has warned that unions will not sit idly by. He said they will hold ballots for industrial action in late August if there is no resolution in the meantime.
When asked, Mr Callinan would not say how much of an increase was being sought, but pointed out that the increase in the cost of living and inflation was now above 9%, and his members wanted “a fair deal”.
There was no doubt that inflation was not good for the economy and he accepted that wages could not “chase” inflation. However, he added: “Workers don't cause inflation, they're the victims, workers and their families are the victims of inflation.”
The reality for low-paid and middle-income workers, including public servants, was that they were “really struggling” with the cost of living.
“We really need this Government as an employer to respond to that, just as we would expect other employers who can afford to do their bit in relation to this cost-of-living crisis," he said.
Trade unions would not shirk their responsibility to their members and were prepared to “battle” if necessary to protect their living standards. The Government could go further to solve this problem, he said.
Labour's employment affairs spokesperson Marie Sherlock warned that a lack of imagination on the part of the Government will lead to strike action.
She said: “It’s over a month since the breakdown of negotiations between unions and public sector employers.
"The reality is a huge amount of workers in the public service are in low- and middle-income jobs and they are struggling to put food on the table and like so many people across Ireland are not able to cope with the dramatic increases in the cost of living. Government must get a grip on that."
