Public sector workers have been offered pay increases worth 10.5 per cent as talks on a new pay deal enter an endgame before planned nationwide strikes on Thursday.
It is understood that the headline rate of 10.5 per cent would be significantly exceeded by pay increases for lower-earning public and civil servants, some of whom would benefit from wage increases of up to 17.8 per cent over the lifespan of the proposed deal.
The Government proposal runs until the early months of 2029, with an additional back payment of €1,200 or two per cent, whichever is higher, in 2026 – which would bring pay increases for 2026 to four per cent overall.
After a weekend in which talks came close to collapse, Government and union negotiators met again on Sunday with more talks planned from Monday morning.
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The offer comes amid fears that a public sector strike would compound an already challenging and high-stakes week as the Government hosts dozens of world leaders as part of Ireland’s EU presidency.
Sources said the offer would in real terms be worth 11 per cent cumulatively. It includes an element covering local bargaining.
An agreed deal is still not certain, with union bosses warning members on Sunday that talks were “very difficult” and some pessimism among the unions about the offer.
On Sunday, Tánaiste Simon Harris claimed the strikes were not inevitable, and said the Government had tabled a “substantially revised and improved offer” to the unions. He said the events related to the EU presidency can still go ahead in an effective way even if the strikes are in place.
While encouraging dialogue and de-escalation, Harris warned that strikes were “not consequence free”, and argued that the mandate for strike action came before the Government had put an offer on the table.
He said the offer meant there was a “different vista” now.
“There is still a window between now and Thursday.”
That window, however, is likely to be narrow – with Government sources indicating that there are hard limits to what it is able to offer, while there is a view in the Coalition that public support for the strikes will be limited.
Meanwhile, unions are still making preparations for the strikes: In a note to members on Sunday, Kevin Callinan of Fórsa, the union with the highest number of members involved in the dispute said talks were “very difficult”.
He told his membership that preparations were “well under way” for the stoppage and associated rallies, which he urged members to attend with colleagues.
Callinan said last week any new agreement would have to deliver more than the 10.25 per cent the last one did. Callinan, however, suggested the unions are aiming for higher increases or guarantees that their members’ income would be protected from inflation – so an agreement could still prove elusive.
It comes as Dublin is already bracing for security threats and large-scale disruption for commuters and businesses with world leaders due to meet this week in the capital for the biggest event of Ireland’s EU presidency.
After a range of bomb threats to media outlets in Ireland and airlines in Europe, Garda and Defence Forces have been planning for significant disruption. On Sunday, Harris said the events of last week suggested there are “bad external actors at play here”.
Garda sources told The Irish Times it was unlikely the EU presidency events of the coming week will pass off without incident, especially the meetings on Thursday and Friday, when up to 50 heads of state will be present. The same officers said they expected further bomb hoaxes like that seen in Ireland and across Europe last week.
There were also concerns that a work to rule by over 11,000 rank and file gardaí, members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) would encourage some bad actors. Some gardaí believe this could encourage lone wolf copycat hoaxers, even though the incidents of last week are believed to be the work of Russia or Russian-aligned groups.
Aside from anticipated bomb threats, and other security hoaxes, senior officers said drone activity could become an issue. This could happen as world leaders fly in and of Ireland or around the Convention Centre in Dublin’s north inner city, where the meetings will take place next week.
“You could also be looking at some cyber-related, something to cause chaos or even just a lot of embarrassment,” said one source.
There is significant disappointment, and annoyance, in Garda Headquarters the work to rule this week could not be halted.
