Ten days of talks, and no deal at the end of them. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has declared that negotiations between public service unions and the Government on a new pay agreement have reached “an impasse” on key issues. That makes it much more likely that schools around the country will close again on Wednesday 11 November.
The talks broke up at around 11.30pm on Friday without agreement. On Saturday morning the WRC took the unusual step of handing the unresolved issues to the independent group the Government set up to design the framework for the talks. That group is chaired by WRC chair Kevin Foley, and the WRC asked it to propose a way forward. Other issues remain with the WRC, and both sides have agreed to keep the details confidential.
What changed this weekend
Until Friday, both sides were saying in public that a deal was within reach. That has now changed. Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, who leads the union side, said plainly that they had reached an impasse. He told RTÉ that unions could not currently put an agreement to their members in a ballot with any confidence, and that the Government had yet to make a credible offer.
According to The Irish Times, Mr Callinan said the gap between the two sides was simply too wide to close for now. He also said unions remained willing to take part in any process the WRC sets up.
Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said he was disappointed the talks had not produced an agreed outcome. He thanked the WRC and said the Government remained committed to a deal that was fair, credible, affordable and sustainable. He would not comment further while the process continues.
What the unions want
The union side has three core demands, as reported by The Irish Times. The first is compensation for the gap between pay increases and inflation over the past five years. The second is a pay rise covering the second half of this year. The third is protection against any future spike in prices. The Government has to weigh those demands against the cost to the public finances of a pay bill covering roughly 300,000 workers.
Will schools close on 11 November?
Nothing is confirmed yet, but the timetable is tight. The unions’ public services committee meets affiliated unions on Monday morning to decide its next move. If there is no draft agreement by then, the unions will consider a nationwide strike on Wednesday 11 November.
Seven days’ notice is needed for strike action, so a decision would have to be made early next week. In the health service, unions believe the notice they served last month, together with the work-to-rule that is still running, already covers them.
The first one-day stoppage on 14 October involved about 300,000 workers and closed schools nationwide. The Irish Times says a second strike would close schools again and hit health and local authority services hard, with demonstrations planned in Dublin and other cities.
What it means for parents and students
For families, the practical advice is to start planning for childcare on 11 November now, and to watch for messages from your school early next week. If the strike goes ahead, it is likely to look like last month’s: most primary and post-primary schools closed because teachers and other staff would be on the picket line.
Leaving Cert and Junior Cycle students will lose another full day of teaching in an already disrupted term. The work-to-rule continues in the meantime, and it is already affecting the wider public service. This week the Department of Housing said it could not publish the monthly homeless figures because some returns had not come in.
Patients with non-urgent hospital or clinic appointments on 11 November should expect to be contacted if those appointments are affected. Emergency care would continue.
What happens next
The next 72 hours are crucial. The Foley group will look at the issues the WRC could not resolve, and unions meet on Monday. If a draft deal appears, it would go to union members in a ballot, and the strike would almost certainly be called off. If not, the unions are expected to serve notice early in the week for an 11 November stoppage. The Government’s line, for now, is that it will not negotiate in public.
Sources
- RTÉ: WRC calls on independent group to assist in pay talks (31 October 2026)
- The Irish Times: Jack Chambers ‘disappointed’ as WRC says public sector pay talks at ‘an impasse’ (31 October 2026)
- The Irish Times: Department says homeless figures not being published due to industrial action (30 October 2026)
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