public sector pay deal

Analysis: Both state and unions risk losing footing as dance of public sector pay talks trundles on

The brinkmanship that will play out over the coming days could well lead to all out strikes if both sides aren’t careful

The coming days will see a high-stakes game of chicken play out, as the government tries to hold its position, and the unions use the threat of industrial action to try squeeze a better deal

There is always a question of just how much choreography is involved in the perennially dramatic public sector pay negotiations.

Union heads and government officials lock themselves away for weeks on end. Talks eventually breakdown over “unacceptable” proposals. And ultimately a deal is reached, averting disaster at the last moment.

It is a suspiciously familiar tale that is currently playing out again, after public sector unions rejected a €2.9 billion offer from the government for ...