Irish minister criticises union leaders over upcoming public sector strike action

Irish Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers has described trade union leadership as completely unfair and unreasonable for proceeding with strike action without engaging with the government. The Irish Examiner and BreakingNews.ie reported that Mr Chambers criticised union leaders for failing to start talks regarding a new public sector pay deal. [1][2]

Mr Chambers warned that tomorrow's strike action is really unfair on the public. According to the Irish Examiner, the minister highlighted that the planned industrial action will lead to the closure of schools and the cancellation of hospital appointments. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the Irish government invited trade unions to Workplace Relations Commission talks on Tuesday in an attempt to avert the strike. Mr Chambers previously called for the planned strike action to be postponed, with hundreds of thousands of public sector workers including doctors, nurses, and teachers expected to take part. [4]

The upcoming action follows previous industrial activity across the country. As FTMQ News reported earlier, nurses and midwives held lunchtime protests at hospitals across Ireland on 8 October, with over 100,000 public sector workers involved in the broader pay dispute. [5]