Further public sector strikes 'could be avoided,' says Laois Senator

Laois Sinn Féin Senator Maria McCormack has condemned the government for allowing public sector pay talks to collapse and for failing to deliver a fair pay agreement for public sector workers.

The public sector strike on Wednesday, October 14 saw the staff of Portlaoise Prison, Midlands Prison, Laois County Council, the Department of Agriculture, Portlaoise Garda station, the court service, and Laois schools, colleges, hospitals, care homes and libraries picketing outside their workplaces in pursuit of a new public sector pay deal.

Negotiations between the government and the trade unions are being mediated by an independent steering group, chaired by Workplace Relations Committee chair Kevin Foley, with whom both parties have been separately communicating. As of Wednesday night, November 4, the negotiations have not yielded any agreement. In the meantime, the unions have announced plans for a second strike next Thursday, November 12.

Senator McCormack has criticised the government’s response to the strikes.

“The Government’s inability to secure a fair pay deal for our nurses, teachers, SNAs and all other public sector workers is an abject failure of leadership,” she said. “The collapse of these talks will come as a profound disappointment for the nurses, teachers, SNAs and other public sector workers who desperately need the Government to listen to their concerns and deliver a fair pay deal.

Senator McCormack stated that the government is empowered to circumvent further industrial action.

“More strikes are not inevitable; they could be avoided by Government delivering a fair pay deal,” she said. “Instead, Minister Jack Chambers seems to be committed to the policy of forcing public sector workers to absorb rising prices while letting their wages stagnate below inflation.

“Sinn Féin are calling on the government to deliver a fair pay deal that protects public sector wages against increases in the cost-of-living.”