Details announced of next week's public sector strike

Unions announce details of next week's public sector strike

Updated / Thursday, 5 Nov 2026 12:57

Unions have announced details of next week's planned public sector strike on Thursday 12 November.

Unlike last month's strike, workers will be encouraged to march in rallies rather than stage pickets outside their workplaces.

There will be eight demonstrations across the country from 12pm to 2pm, with the largest taking place in Dublin.

This will coincide with a major meeting of world leaders in the capital as part of Ireland's EU Presidency.

It is understood the Dublin rally may involve striking workers marching from O'Connell Street to Government Buildings but the logistics of this are still being worked out.

Extensive road closures and traffic restrictions will be in place because of the European Summit.

The other public sector rallies will be held in Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Sligo, Tullamore and Letterkenny.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Expenditure has said that an independent group is continuing to engage with both sides in the ongoing dispute over public sector pay.

Trade unions and Government representatives held separate talks with the mediators yesterday.

It is understood further discussions could take place in the coming days.

Engagement began on Tuesday with a Government-appointed group chaired by Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) Chair Kevin Foley.

On Monday, unions announced plans for the 24-hour strike on Thursday 12 November.

They have accused the Government of failing to make a credible offer on pay.

Talks at the WRC were adjourned on Friday night with unions saying that a significant impasse had been reached.

It is understood unions rejected a Government offer of pay increases worth 7.75% over two and a half years.

This would include a 1.75% increase from 1 November 2026.

There would then be a series of pay increases over the course of 2027 and 2028, totalling 5%.

A further 1% would be allocated for local bargaining, which allows for pay issues to be addressed involving specific roles and grades.

General Secretary of Fórsa and Chair of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' Public Services Committee, Kevin Callinan, said they are looking for a better deal than the last public sector pay agreement.

That was worth 10.25% over two and a half years. It expired at the end of June.

After next week's strike, unions said they will intensify the work-to-rule action that is already under way across the public sector and look at taking further industrial action.

Mr Callinan said future action may take the form of rolling strikes in individual sectors of the public service.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, he said: "In my own union, we're looking at the option of deploying our strike fund to take out sections of our members for a week and make up their wages.

"We could do that for very significant numbers in key areas if we have to. We could rotate it week by week. Maybe 1,000 members here one week, 1,000 members in another place the following week," Mr Callinan added.

Delays in agreeing to a new public sector pay deal led to a 24-hour strike by more than 300,000 public sector workers last month.

A second planned strike was suspended to allow for talks, however, industrial action in the form of a work-to-rule is continuing.