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Union leaders expect up to 250,000 civil and public servants to take part in the planned national public service strike tomorrow.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, the chairman of the public service committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) Peter McLoone said the Government had forced them into a strike that nobody wanted. He said the Government had so far failed to engage with the unions "with willingness to negotiate a fair alternative to plans for a second huge pay cut in less than a year".

However, he acknowledged that tomorrow's strike will cause hardship for those who depend most on public services. Mr McLoone said the strike would see a shutdown of Ireland's public services, with the exception of emergency cover and exemptions for staff dealing with with storm and flood damage in certain parts of the country, including Galway, Cork and Clare.