SIPTU's local authority sector committee has threatened industrial action unless the Government engages as a matter of urgency on a new public sector pay deal.
The current agreement, Building Momentum, expires at the end of the year.
SIPTU has accused the Government of ignoring the needs of its local authority members who the union described as amongst the lowest paid public servants.
"It is not acceptable that those workers who the State increasingly relies on to keep essential frontline public services such as local authority services to businesses and communities throughout the increasingly extreme weather events such as Storm Babet, as well as providing essential public services throughout the recent Covid19 pandemic, would be so quickly forgotten by the Government," said Karan O Loughlin, SIPTU Divisional Organiser for the Public Administration and Community Sector.
Brendan O’Brien, SIPTU Local Authority Sector Organiser, said possible future industrial action is being considered.
"At today’s SIPTU Local Authority Sector meeting, our shop stewards representing local authority workers across the country, have unanimously agreed that in the event the Government does not engage with the public service unions as a matter of urgency on a successor agreement to Building Momentum, we will consult with our members across the country with a view to commencing a campaign of industrial and strike action to secure a fair deal for our members,’’ Mr O’Brien said.
In his budget speech earlier this month, the Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said that later this year his Department would enter public sector pay talks and endeavour to reach an agreement that is fair for public servants and affordable for taxpayers.
"Of course, I would expect that the significant package of cost of living and taxation measures provided for in this Budget, which will benefit public servants, would be appropriately factored into those discussions," Mr Donohoe said in his speech.
