Talks on a new public sector pay agreement in Ireland were adjourned on Friday night without a deal, and the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has now asked a government-appointed group to step in, according to RTE.ie. The negotiations, which had run for ten days under the commission's auspices, broke up with unions describing the process as having hit a "significant impasse". The WRC confirmed the move in a statement on Saturday.
Why it matters
The standoff leaves the pay of a large part of the Irish public service unresolved and raises the prospect of widespread industrial action. Kevin Callinan, the lead union negotiator and general secretary of the Fórsa trade union, told reporters that an agreement that unions could confidently put to members in a ballot did not look achievable at present. He had earlier told fellow union leaders that if no draft agreement was on the table at Monday's meeting, they would consider plans for a nationwide strike on Wednesday 11 November, RTE.ie reports.
What the WRC said
The commission said that after ten days of intensive talks held under its oversight, it had concluded that certain matters had reached an impasse. It has asked the government-appointed group to examine those issues and propose a way to resolve them. The group is chaired by Kevin Foley, who also chairs the WRC, and was set up to build the framework for the pay negotiations. It had previously said it would be available to help if talks reached a deadlock.
The WRC added that all other matters under discussion would stay with the commission, and that because the talks have not concluded, all discussions remain confidential to the parties involved.
Union position
Speaking as he left the negotiations, Callinan said the next move for the unions is a meeting with affiliate unions on Monday morning, where they will be briefed on how the talks went and decide what to do next. He said it would be up to the WRC whether to involve the government-appointed group, adding that the unions would make themselves available. He also said unions would respect the commission's judgement, but that they needed confidence that any proposals would be likely to win members' approval — and that they were a long way from that point.
In a message to Fórsa members before the talks adjourned, Callinan said the Government had not yet made a credible offer and that it remained to be seen whether one would come. He described the negotiations as lengthy and at times heated, and said that if the sides could not reach an acceptable agreement by the weekend, unions would have no option but to escalate industrial action.
Government response
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Jack Chambers said he was disappointed that the ten days of intensive negotiations had not produced an agreed outcome. He acknowledged the work of all parties in recent weeks and thanked the WRC for supporting the discussions. Chambers said the Government remains committed to a pay deal for public service workers that is fair and credible, and also affordable and sustainable for the country. He noted that the WRC had announced its request for the government-appointed group to consider the outstanding issues and propose a resolution.
What to watch
All eyes now turn to Monday morning, when the unions meet to assess the state of the negotiations and set out their next steps — with the threat of a nationwide strike on 11 November still on the table.
