The IFUT Executive Committee has unanimously endorsed the recommendation of the ICTU Public Services Committee for a 24-hour public service work stoppage on Thursday, 12 November.
IFUT members will participate in the stoppage and in associated national and regional demonstrations, with rallies planned for Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Tullamore, Wexford and Sligo.
The decision follows ten days of intensive talks which ended without a credible proposal capable of resolving the dispute.
IFUT General Secretary Frank Jones said:
“Public servants have given this process every opportunity to produce a negotiated settlement. Ten days of intensive discussions have taken place, but we are still without a credible pay proposal that unions could recommend to our members.
“Our members have already demonstrated very clearly that they are prepared to act collectively. Nobody wants industrial action for its own sake, but if Government wants to resolve this dispute, it now needs to put forward proposals that genuinely address the issues which brought us here.”
Throughout the discussions, IFUT and other public service unions have been clear about what is required: an agreement that protects the living standards of public servants, provides appropriate measures for lower-paid workers and delivers meaningful progress on outstanding local bargaining issues.
IFUT and the other unions remain available to reach a negotiated settlement. However, the proposals currently on the table do not provide a basis on which we could confidently recommend an agreement to our members.
The action on 12 November follows the national stoppage on 14 October, when thousands of IFUT members participated across universities and higher education institutions.
Over the coming days, IFUT branches will also discuss with members what further escalation may be necessary if the dispute remains unresolved, including possible additional measures in the period ahead and into the new year.
IFUT remains committed to resolving this dispute through negotiation. But any settlement must address, in a credible and meaningful way, the issues which led members to take industrial action in the first place.
Our objective remains a fair agreement. In the absence of one, members are prepared to continue acting collectively to secure it.