Sinn Féin spokesperson on Public Expenditure, Rose Conway-Walsh TD, has criticised the government handling of the public sector pay negotiations, which has left the issue of pay unaddressed until after the existing pay deal had expired.

Teachta Conway-Walsh TD said:

“Since the beginning of this year, public sector workers have been outside of a pay agreement.

“385,000 public sector workers deserve better than this, and the state needs stability.

“This is the direct result of the government’s reckless approach to negotiations and risks industrial action and disruption to vital public services.

“Public sector workers do not want to be voting on industrial action, they want a fair deal.

“Public sector workers have seen their wages eroded by inflation like everyone else.

“All workers, particularly those on middle and lower incomes, need to be shielded from inflation and their wages protected.

“The government should never have left the formal opening to negotiation talks so late in the year if they were not confident that an agreement could be reached in time.

“The government chose to leave engaging on pay until after the existing deal expired. This brinkmanship is no way to build trust and cooperation with trade unions and workers.

“There is no reason a fair agreement cannot be reached. We need to see focused and intensive negotiations until we have a fair deal.”