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Irish unions weigh revised pay offer with strike still planned

The proposed increases would run to March 2029, but union negotiators have not yet reached an agreement with the Government.

Channel: RTÉ News ·

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Public sector unions consider revised pay deal offer | RTÉ News

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:25Fórsa's Kevin Callinan says unions are seriously negotiating without expressing optimism or pessimism about reaching a deal.
0:46Simon Harris says significant progress has been made and urges a final push towards agreement.
1:32David Murphy places the proposed settlement within wider government spending and previous public sector pay deals.
2:10Murphy highlights the risk of funding permanent spending with multinational corporation tax receipts.
3:26Brian O'Donovan reports an offer of 10.75% over two years and nine months, with Thursday's strike still planned.

A revised offer of 10.75% in pay increases is before Ireland's public sector unions, but preparations for Thursday's planned strike are continuing, according to Ireland's RTÉ News, the news service of public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.

The proposal covers two years and nine months and would run to March 2029. Reporting from outside the Workplace Relations Commission, correspondent Brian O'Donovan says unions are considering the terms while formal negotiations continue. The offer is not an agreed settlement, and the broadcast gives no announcement that industrial action has been called off.

Kevin Callinan, general secretary of public service union Fórsa, describes a negotiating team intent on finding an agreement without predicting the outcome. "We're not optimistic, we're not pessimistic, we're seriously going to try and negotiate a public service deal," he says.

Simon Harris, Ireland's deputy prime minister and finance minister, strikes a more encouraging note. He says significant progress has been made and urges everyone to make a final push towards agreement.

The report also examines what a settlement would mean for the public finances. Economics and Public Affairs Editor David Murphy sets the proposed increases alongside previous pay deals and the growth in public sector employment. His analysis highlights the risk of using tax receipts from multinational companies to support permanent spending commitments: a pay increase creates an ongoing cost, while that revenue can be less dependable.

The immediate question remains whether negotiators can turn the revised terms into a deal before the planned walkout. At the close of O'Donovan's update, strike preparations are still under way.