THE GOVERNMENT has released a statement saying that they remain “fully committed” to entering pay talks with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Public Services Committee (PSC), and other representative associations.
This comes ahead of a major public sector strike taking place tomorrow, October 14. It is expected that more than 300,000 public sector workers, including nurses, doctors, teachers and civil servants, will take part in the strike.
The statement claims that the Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers, has “repeatedly, both directly and through his officials, called on ICTU to enter talks following their withdrawal from initial discussions in June.”
Yesterday, Minister Chambers made an eleventh-hour appeal to call off the strikes tomorrow and enter into talks with officials at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). However, it was rejected by unions, citing that there is ‘no basis’ for the strikes to be postponed.
The appeal emphasises the €1.2 billion provision made for a potential public service pay deal in the Budget 2027, as well as understanding the ‘cost of living’ pressures.
“Budget 2027 increases investment in childcare, housing and public services, with targeted measures for workers, families, carers, pensioners and people with disabilities to support living standards.”
The PSC’s Chair, Kevin Callinan, and its officers Phil Ní Sheaghdha, John Boyle and Adrian Kane responded in a media statement saying that the “government must acknowledge that the specific pay issues raised by unions will be addressed in any talks at the outset.”
The strikes come after the previous public service pay agreement expired in June 2026 and no new contract was signed.
A secondary strike is planned for Wednesday, October 21, if no agreement has been reached between the unions and the government.