Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Duncan Smith (LAB), Dublin Fingal East

First, I wish to pass on the condolences of the Labour Party on the passing of Seamus Carroll, a genuinely warm presence in these corridors for many years. He will be sorely missed and out thoughts are with Treasa and his wider family.
There is a need for this industrial action. The 100,000 front-line workers across health, education and local authorities do not want to be on a work to rule. They do not want strike action on 14 and 21 October and they feel they are being gaslit by the Government because it does not want to engage on pay. That is the key thing. The Government has let the current pay agreement lapse. The unions, as the Taoiseach knows, will negotiate but they want to negotiate on pay. The best method to tackle a cost-of-living crisis is more pay for hard-pressed workers. This Government is not engaging on this. It can gaslight and say all it wants, and the Department can put out its statements but the fact is that this Government is not willing to negotiate on pay. Until it is willing to negotiate on pay, the unions will escalate their strikes and will have our support to do so. Will the Government please come to the table and negotiate a public sector pay deal?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30