Public sector unions plan for strike day on 12 November amid ongoing stand-off with government

LAST UPDATE | 42 mins ago

UNIONS REPRESENTING PUBLIC sector workers say they’re planning another 24-hour strike for next Thursday, as their dispute over pay has not been resolved.

It follows an impasse in talks with the government, which concluded late on Friday night.

Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers participated in a nationwide strike in October.

It forced the closure of schools, the rescheduling of thousands of non-emergency hospital appointments, and the cancellation of driving tests and most court hearings.

The public sector workers – including nurses, doctors, teachers and civil servants – launched the national strike after first engaging in work-to-rule action.

Unions had demanded that pay would be top of the agenda in the talks, with the government saying it would be discussed as a priority.

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A planned repeat strike was suspended to facilitate talks with the Department of Public Expenditure but is now back on the table.

However, the general secretary of Ireland’s largest public sector union Fórsa said on Friday that talks at the Workplace Relations Commission reached in impasse. 

In a statement today, Fórsa said: “Preparations are now underway for a 24-hour work stoppage on Thursday 12 November.

“A rally in Dublin, alongside regional rallies, will mark the strike action and bring members together in support of a resolution.”

The European Political Community (EPC) Summit is to take place in Dublin on 12 November, and could be significantly impacted by civil servants being on strike.

The union added that they will discuss “intensifying the current work-to-rule action and further industrial action” beyond 12 November.

With reporting by the Press Association