Public sector workers have demonstrated their determination to secure a fair settlement through collective industrial action. They subsequently suspended further action to facilitate negotiations, yet the Government has failed to produce a satisfactory offer.
The Government’s foot-dragging must be seen in a wider context. The latest CSO national accounts show non-financial corporations operating in Ireland recording €83.7 billion in gross operating surplus in the second quarter of 2026 alone. Against this backdrop, the Government’s provision of just €1.2 billion for public sector pay in Budget 2027, including outstanding commitments, reveals its economic priorities.
This Government accommodates enormous corporate wealth while treating public sector pay as a cost to be contained. Wage restraint reflects political choices about whose class interests are prioritised. Equally, unions should remember that headline pay increases should not be at the expense of workers’ conditions (through productivity measures) or be traded for further commercialisation, outsourcing or deterioration of public services.
The outcome matters to the wider working class. All workers should draw strength from the organisation, unity and collective discipline demonstrated by public sector unions.
The Industrial Committee supports further industrial action democratically determined by union members and calls on workers, trade unions and progressive organisations to join the proposed solidarity demonstrations and marches organised in support of further action by public sector workers.
Industrial Committee, Communist Party of Ireland
