Talks on public sector pay and avoiding a planned strike later this week have resumed at the Workplace Relations Commission after late-night talks appeared to produce a breakthrough.
It is understood the talks made progress after midnight following lengthy negotiations about the Government’s improved pay offer issued over the weekend.
While some outstanding matters remain between the two sides, including on nonpay issues, it is expected that the talks could conclude with an agreement later on Tuesday.
“We’re committed to trying to close out a deal today, but really, that’s going to depend on how the talks go,” said the unions’ lead negotiator, Kevin Callinan of Fórsa, on the way into the WRC on Tuesday morning.
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“There are a number of matters outstanding. I think we’ll see how the day goes. We’re not optimistic, we’re not pessimistic. We’re seriously going to try and negotiate a public service deal.”
Asked if Thursday’s strike by public sector workers would go ahead, he said: “It’s impossible to say. It all depends on how the day goes and how quickly we can manage to reach agreement on the outstanding matters.”
His comments came after the two sides had spent a lengthy session on Monday into early Tuesday morning engaging with the Government-appointed steering group led by WRC chairman Kevin Foley.
[ Is the public pay offer affordable and fair compared with private sector wages?Opens in new window ]
Those talks were focused on the Government’s offer on pay, which was revealed on Sunday to be worth a total of 10.5 per cent in staggered increases, an improvement on the 7.75 per cent tabled but rejected by unions more than a week ago.
The proposals also provided for minimum increases for lower-paid staff that would boost their pay by more than the deal’s headline figures and backdating of an initial 2 per cent increase to July 1st.
The absence of such measures on low pay from the original offer had been severely criticised by union leaders.
After initial uncertainty, Government sources indicated the increases would be over a three-year period rather than the 30-month term originally envisaged for a new deal.
This still fell short of what the unions were seeking and they are believed to have pushed for greater percentage increases or a reduction in the duration of the proposed agreement.
[ Taoiseach says 10.5% pay hike offered to public service unions ‘very fair’Opens in new window ]
There were suggestions on Monday evening that a four-month reduction in the term had been agreed. Sources said the Government side was holding fast on the scale of the pay increases, which, it had indicated, would cost €5 billion to implement.
The talks, however, continued for several hours after that and it is not clear what movement there was subsequently.
Preparations by the various public sector unions, including the two largest participants, Fórsa and Siptu, for Thursday’s stoppages have continued and the associated demonstrations planned for eight cities and towns around the country.
“Until we hear back from the negotiators on whether an agreement has been established, plans for the strike and rallies on Thursday must continue,” Fórsa deputy general secretary Katie Morgan told members in a communication.
The union said about 50,000 of its members had registered to participate in the marches, with 20,000 signed up to the one in Dublin.
Siptu told its members it was proceeding on the basis the strike would happen unless a deal was finally agreed and said work was continuing on confirming derogations for staff maintaining essential services, especially in the health sector.
On his way into Tuesday morning’s Cabinet meeting, Taoiseach Micheál Martin declined to be drawn on the possibility of a pay deal and a cancellation of the planned strike.
“I don’t believe there is a basis for strike action but all sides are sworn to confidentiality ... so we’ll let those talks continue today,” he said.
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman welcomed the fact the Government “has finally made a credible pay offer to the public service unions, though it is coming very late in the day”.
He accused Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers of “lowballing the public sector unions in terms of the initial pay offer” and argued that the “whole mess” could have been avoided if the Government had “engaged in good faith” with the trade unions.
Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly accused Chambers of “inertia and inaction over the summer” when it came to the public pay issue. He welcomed the talks and said his party wants to see them continuing with “real energy” but did not want to “say anything that would try and impact those talks”.
Labour Party TD Ged Nash was also cautious in his remarks about the talks, saying “it would be unwise of me to make any comments at this point in time as to where I think this might land”.
He added: “This is a quickly moving situation, but as things stand at the moment, and I think this is the clear message, people are mobilised.”
Nash said that there is a national day of strikes planned for Thursday. “We’re still working on that basis, and we continue to work on that basis until we know otherwise.”
Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said that the unions must secure pay increases above inflation saying it would be an “absolute insult” to workers otherwise.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín urged the Government and unions to come to a deal and said his party thinks it is “important that the Government starts to focus on the productivity elements.”
Meanwhile, a work-to-rule planned by members of the Garda Representative Association for this week has been stood down after the organisation said it had made “significant progress with the Garda Commissioner”.
The industrial action was set to coincide, over the coming days, with some of the highest-profile events of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU. They include the visit to Dublin on Thursday of about 50 government leaders and heads of state, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
