IFUT members’ strong participation in this week’s industrial action has helped create significant movement in the public service dispute, with the Taoiseach intervening directly and a new facilitated process now being established.
The ICTU Public Services Committee has agreed to suspend the 24-hour public service strike scheduled for Wednesday, 21 October.
The decision follows intensive engagement over recent days, including direct intervention by the Taoiseach.
A new process will now be led by Kevin Foley, former Chairman of the Labour Court, assisted by one nominee from the trade union side and one nominee from the employer side.
They will undertake a focused and intensive exercise with the parties aimed at constructing an agreed basis for formal negotiations through the Workplace Relations Commission.
The process is intended to move quickly and to establish a sufficiently robust framework to allow substantive negotiations to proceed effectively.
Members created the movement
The development follows an exceptionally strong day of industrial action across the public service on Wednesday.
IFUT members turned out in their thousands across universities and higher education institutions, with strong, highly visible and exceptionally well-organised picket lines.
IFUT General Secretary Frank Jones said:
“The intervention of the Taoiseach and the establishment of this new process represent significant movement.
“But we should be clear about what created the conditions for that movement.
“Our members organised, withdrew their labour and stood together in their thousands. That created leverage.”
An opportunity – not yet a settlement
The suspension of the 21 October strike does not mean that the substantive dispute has been resolved.
The immediate task of the new process is to establish the basis on which formal negotiations can begin through the WRC.
There also remains a pressing need to rebuild trust and confidence in the public service industrial relations process.
Mr Jones said:
“This is not yet a settlement.
“There is now an opportunity to reach an agreement quickly.
“Government has indicated that it wants to resolve the dispute. That now needs to be demonstrated in practice.
“We want this process to succeed, but we will judge it by what it actually delivers.”
A stronger union
Recent weeks have significantly strengthened IFUT’s capacity to organise.
Branches have developed new activists, membership has grown and thousands of members have participated directly in collective action.
That organisational strength will remain important throughout the negotiating process and beyond.
Mr Jones added:
“Our strength as a union lies in organised members standing together in their workplaces.
“Members demonstrated that strength on Wednesday.
“It has helped create this opportunity. Now we need to make sure that opportunity delivers.”
Further updates will be provided to members as the process develops.