Government invites unions to WRC talks and urges strike postponement

The Government has invited public‑sector unions to formal talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Tuesday and public expenditure minister Jack Chambers has called for Wednesday’s strike to be postponed.

Hundreds of thousands of workers – including nurses, doctors, teachers, civil servants and others – are set to stage a 24‑hour strike on Wednesday, which could disrupt schools, hospitals, public services and the Dáil schedule.

In a letter to the unions Fórsa, SIPTU, the INMO and the INTO, seen by the Irish Examiner, Mr Chambers said pay “can and should be discussed as a priority” alongside “other matters” and urged an intensive engagement process.

Mr Chambers noted the Government’s recent announcement of €1.2 billion to support the pay talks and argued that the strike would cause “great disruption” to vulnerable people and result in “avoidable loss of earnings for public servants”.

He asked the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) to postpone the strike to allow for urgent and intensive engagement at the WRC on Tuesday, expressing confidence that an agreement could be reached without delay.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Leonardo Barucci / Pexels.