The General Secretary of the Fórsa trade union Kevin Callinan has called for a better deal on pay, housing, working conditions, public services and flexible working.
Mr Callinan was addressing his union's biennial conference which opened in Killarney this evening.
Fórsa is the country's largest public sector union and this week's conference comes ahead of talks on the next public sector pay deal which are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will address the conference tomorrow.
Mr Callinan told delegates that they will be respectful but will make sure that Mr Martin leaves knowing exactly what workers need.
"Ireland is a wealthy country, but too many workers are not sharing in that wealth, and that gap is growing," Mr Callinan said.
"So, when we say we want a better deal, we mean something very specific, a better deal on pay, a better deal on housing, a better deal on working conditions, a better deal for our public services and a better deal on flexibility and dignity at work."
"That's not unreasonable," he added.
The General Secretary of Fórsa said they would not be hoping to be heard, but rather impossible to ignore.
Mr Callinan said that for far too long, governments have taken an approach that amounts to ticking the box of consultation while proceeding with their own plans.
He criticised the Department of Public Expenditure saying it "does not appear to value a multi annual agreement", pointing to delays in delivering local bargaining elements of the current public sector pay deal.
He added that the response to the recent fuel protests "has not gone unnoticed" and that the measures in the support package were "not just insufficient, they were regressive".
More than 150 motions
Pay, artificial intelligence and remote working will be among the topics debated by members of Fórsa at this week's conference.
More than 150 motions will be voted on by delegates over the course of three days.
One of the motions on wages calls for "a significant increase in member's pay, beyond the level of inflation".
Another states that the next public service agreement should provide for "a fairer work-life balance through agreed policies on flexible work arrangements, remote working, and a shorter working week".
The resolution also calls for the agreement to include "targeted investment in public healthcare and housing".
Remote working
On remote working, one of the motions states that remote and hybrid work must be better protected and promoted.
"Flexible work should not become a privilege for higher paid workers, rather it should be secured and defended through national and local bargaining," according to the resolution,
Another motion opposes "unilateral employer decisions to roll back blended working without clear evidence-informed justification or meaningful engagement".
Artificial Intelligence
On artificial intelligence, one motion calls for the inclusion of AI-related clauses in the forthcoming public service pay negotiations.
These would include the right to meaningful consultation and collective bargaining on AI deployment; protections against AI-driven job displacement; commitments to benefit-sharing including the exploration of reduced working time as an "AI Time Dividend"; and guaranteed access to paid, protected time for AI training and upskilling.
Another motion calls on the union to ensure workers’ rights are respected and prioritised in the Government’s rolling out of artificial intelligence systems across workplaces.
