Pay talks go on after 300,000 join 24-hour public sector strike

Speaking in Dunboyne, Co Meath, on Wednesday 28 October, Mr Chambers said the talks were confidential, but confirmed the Government would ask unions for changes to productivity.

"There will be proposals around reform and productivity, and they’ll be discussed, and hopefully agreed between all sides, as well as agreement on a wider public sector pay deal itself," he said.

He said there had been positive and constructive engagement so far and that intensity would increase through the week, adding: "But as has been said by everybody involved, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed."

In an earlier letter to unions, Mr Chambers said pay "can and should be discussed as a priority", alongside other matters, and pointed to the Government's announcement that €1.2bn was being made available for the pay talks.

He had warned before the stoppage that the planned strike would cause "great disruption" to the country, particularly for vulnerable people, as well as the "avoidable loss of earnings for public servants".

Union leaders rejected the Government's push for urgent pay talks on Tuesday 13 October and confirmed the 24-hour stoppage would go ahead on Wednesday 14 October.

The Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said the letter from Mr Chambers had not represented a change in the Government's position.

Committee chair Kevin Callinan and officers Phil Ní Sheaghdha, John Boyle and Adrian Kane said the Government must acknowledge specific pay issues raised by unions at the start of talks, rather than at the end.

The committee said restoring confidence in the process was essential, saying it has been "severely damaged" by unimplemented commitments in the last agreement, while preparations continued for the stoppage: "Unions continue to prepare for a 24-hour work stoppage that will take place on Wednesday 14th October."

The strike saw nurses, doctors, teachers, civil servants and other workers take part in a 24-hour work stoppage as part of a row with the Government over pay negotiations amid the cost-of-living crisis.

The stoppage closed schools, libraries and parks and led to thousands of cancelled hospital appointments, almost two weeks before the late-October talks phase.

The Courts Service said that, given the level of involvement in the stoppage and after consultation with unions, it would not be able to support courts or open public counters on the Wednesday.

"This means Courts are cancelled and public counter service will not be available on Wednesday 14 October 2026, except for" emergency domestic violence and childcare applications, certain Garda applications to remand a person in custody where station bail was refused, and High Court injunctions to protect life, health, safety or welfare.

District Courts were automatically adjourned to the next sitting in the same district unless the assigned judge set a different day, with the Courts Service saying it would notify parties of rescheduled dates: "Please note District Courts are automatically adjourned to the next sitting in the same District Court district, except where the judge assigned to the district specifically adjourns the court to a different day."

Mr Chambers said gardaí would be included in any new deal and were party to the wider discussions, alongside constant engagement with Garda management, the Garda Representative Association and the Minister for Justice.

The question arose after a GRA survey in which 3,977 respondents, or 93.6%, favoured industrial action including a work-to-rule around forthcoming EU presidency events, while 256 voted against industrial action.

About 45% of 11,600 GRA members voted in the survey, which also recorded 273 votes against a work-to-rule during policing of the EU presidency.

"As I've said, we've intensive discussions under way at the WRC to give a fair deal for public sector workers, including An Garda Síochána, and obviously they'll be part of any working at that if an agreement is made," Mr Chambers said. He praised gardaí for their role so far and said he believed they would continue to do so as Ireland concluded the presidency work at the end of the year. kibitz