Ireland's Public Sector Workers Launch Massive Strike After Nearly Two Decades

Some 300,000 teachers, healthcare workers, civil servants and other Irish public sector employees are holding a one-day strike in protest at the deadlock in wage negotiations.

About 300,000 teachers, health workers, civil servants and other public sector workers in Ireland are holding a one-day strike to protest the deadlock in salary increase negotiations.

According to Ambassador Arjan, quoted by Reuters, a large part of the Irish public sector employees are going on strike for the first time since 2009 and the height of the country's financial crisis, after rejecting the government's latest proposal to prevent a strike by trade unions.

The main difference between the government and the unions is on how to start the wage increase negotiations. The unions emphasize that due to the increase in the cost of living, they should first agree on salaries and then discuss issues such as productivity. The government did not accept this condition and considered it contrary to previous agreements.

Irish Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers on Monday called on union leaders to postpone the strike, saying pay issues should be dealt with first and foremost. However, union leaders said the government's new proposal did not change its previous position.

Despite the healthy state of Ireland's economy and public finances, rising prices have fueled employee discontent. Unions want a deal that compensates for wages lagging inflation in recent years and prevents workers from losing purchasing power. The previous wage agreement expired at the end of June.

On the day of the strike, essential services including hospital emergency departments and public transport will be in place, but fire services and ambulances will operate at reduced capacity. Hospitals have also warned about widespread disruption and the cancellation of some non-emergency medical procedures. The second day of the strike is scheduled for October 21.