People Before Profit have said that the proposed public sector pay deal announced today falls short of what workers need to keep up with the rising cost of living. The party will support workers who are already calling on other members to reject the deal and they will hold a public meeting in Dublin on Friday to support those organising in their unions in the run up to a ballot. The meeting will be hosted by Paul Murphy TD and Richard Boyd Barrett TD and will hear from several public sector workers from Fórsa, the ASTI, INTO and SIPTU.
In the run-up to the October strike, the Government talked down the prospect of a pay rise and ignored the unions entirely. One day of strike action by more than 300,000 public sector workers forced the Government to substantially improve its initial offer. People Before Profit are arguing that this shows that workers have the power to win more.
Richard Boyd Barrett TD said:
“There was a real sense of possibility on the picket lines in October. For a lot of younger workers, it was their first time taking part in trade union action. Many joined their unions for the first time. After months of watching their rent, shopping and energy bills go up, people felt they could finally do something about it together.
“The October strike forced the government’s hand, a second strike tomorrow, with European leaders arriving in Dublin, would have put them under serious pressure. Today we’re hearing from workers who wanted the unions to use that power to win a deal that would beat inflation and ease the pressure they have felt over recent years. We are in full agreement with them.
“In our Alternative Budget for 2027, we called for a 10% pay rise and throughout this dispute we’ve argued that workers need that increase in full, straight away. 10% this year is the minimum needed to make up lost ground and keep ahead of rising prices. The headline 10.75% over three years announced today includes money previously set aside for local bargaining, with the increases drip-fed through to March 2029. Many workers will barely keep their heads above water if this deal is accepted. If prices rise faster than forecast, workers could fall further behind and struggle even more to pay the bills.”
Paul Murphy TD said:
“The Government is already talking about ‘productivity’. On the picket lines, nurses told us about doing the work of several people on dangerously understaffed wards. Teachers and special needs assistants spoke about struggling to give children the support they need. Council workers are covering posts that have been left vacant in the most under-funded local authorities in Europe.
“As part of the work-to-rule in the run-up to the first strike day, teachers withdrew from Croke Park hours and SNAs boycotted the 72 hours they have been required to work unpaid each year. This deal leaves Croke Park hours in place and offers SNAs another round of talks about reducing those extra hours, both of which should have been scrapped in this deal.
“Worryingly, the draft also commits the Government and unions to working together to introduce AI across public services. Workers should have the right to opt out of AI. We shouldn’t let big tech companies push AI into our public services. If the Government uses AI agents to do public servants’ work, it will undermine the power of organised workers when the next round of bargaining comes around. It would also weaken public services and give tech companies a window into how our State is run.
“The Government should put the money it wants to spend on AI into filling vacancies, bringing outsourced work back in-house and rebuilding the public sector capacity that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil hollowed out through austerity.”
Richard Boyd Barrett TD added:
“This Friday, 13 November, at 7pm, we’ll be bringing workers from across the public sector together in Wynn’s Hotel to discuss the deal and what workers can do about it. If you’re disappointed with the offer, come along and bring a colleague. Workers forced the Government’s hand once before in October, they can reject this deal and win more.”
