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Siptu and Fórsa members back industrial action as pay talks stall, warning Government that failure to engage could lead to disruption.
Members of two of the largest public sector unions in Ireland, Siptu and Fórsa, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in an escalating dispute over a new pay agreement with the Government.
The previous deal expired at the end of June, and the unions have complained that the Coalition has not engaged in serious negotiations on a successor agreement. While there is no immediate prospect of industrial action taking place, the unions regard the ballot results as a warning shot to the Government. They insist that they will now continue internal discussions on what measures might be taken if substantive talks do not begin soon.
The decision to seek a mandate from members reflects a range of underlying pressures. The most obvious is the financial pressure caused by persistently higher prices, which has hit lower-paid public servants particularly hard. Any eventual deal with the Government will inevitably be backdated, but the unions have questioned why their members should be expected to wait for compensation that is already overdue. Other factors have also shaped the unions' stance.
Several groups have secured notable concessions from the Government over the past couple of years, and the trade unions are under internal pressure to demonstrate that they can deliver comparable gains. The recent fuel protests, for example, resulted in a second round of excise reductions that was subsequently extended. The hospitality lobby last year won a cut in VAT, a measure that came at the expense of indexing income tax bands and credits for the current year.
The unions will have noted that causing disruption has, in certain cases, brought tangible results. Part of the delay also reflects a degree of jockeying for position. The Government has been seeking commitments for reform before committing funds, while the unions want to see concrete money placed on the table before discussing changes. The substantial size of the recent budget surplus is expected to embolden the unions in pushing this demand.
Ultimately, trade union members need to see their incomes adjusted for inflation, and the Government is right to build in demands for cooperation with public sector reform. The Government may wish to postpone meaningful discussions until after the budget, but both sides recognise that, at some stage, a deal will have to be concluded. The longer the standoff continues, the greater the risk of disruption to public services.
Both sides know that an agreement is necessary, and the sooner they return to genuine negotiations, the better the outcome is likely to be for workers, the Government, and the wider public who rely on the services these members provide
Siptu Fórsa Public Sector Pay Industrial Action Ireland
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