Council backs public sector workers ahead of planned strike

Members of South Dublin County Council passed a motion to recognise the “essential role” of public sector workers ahead of the planned strikes on Wednesday, October 14.

Councillor Madeline Johannson presented this motion at October’s monthly council meeting, which expressed support for workers engaging in “industrial action seeking pay increases that reflect the rising cost of living.”

Having passed this motion, SDCC members agreed to write to the Minister for Finance, the Public Services Committee of ICTU, FÓRSA, SIPTU, the INMO, Unite and the INTO, communicating their position on the issue.

At the meeting, Councillors expressed their opinions on the upcoming strikes, with Councillor Johannson taking charge and putting forward her views, which were quickly followed by support from her colleagues.

Cllr Johannson referenced the sum of €1.2b that was allocated to public sector workers in Budget 2027, which “corresponds to a measly 2 per cent pay increase at a time when inflation is over 4 per cent. That is an effective pay cut.”

She also referenced the actions of the government during past strikes, in particular the school secretaries and caretakers, during which Union representatives went into talks with the government “with nothing on the table.”

Cllr Johannson encouraged public sector workers to avoid doing this at all costs, as it ended with workers failing to secure pension parity.

Fine Gael Councillor David McManus echoed his support for the strike but commented on Cllr Johannson’s comments that backed the union workers’ decision not to go into talks with the government.

Regarding the €1.2b that has been allocated by the government, Cllr McManus told the chamber:

“A pay agreement is needed, and a pay increase is needed for the public servants. They got them in the past, and they are well deserved … they will also want their pay increase next year.

“The only way to get that is by going into the room and negotiating; that’s what Unions do. They sit down, negotiate and work together; that’s their role.”

Councillor Jess Spear also expressed her support for the workers’ strike, referring to the lack of resources for those working in the public sector.

“The fact that so much work continues to get done is an absolute testament to the workers who are continually going above and beyond what is expected of them.

“I absolutely applaud them for engaging in work-to-rule to help expose exactly how much of our public services, including the services here in this council, depend on that goodwill.”

Councillors staunchly agreed that the workers are justified in expressing their right to strike and call for better resources and pay.

Councillor Johannson concluded that “every worker deserves safe conditions, decent hours and secure employment; every working-class family deserves properly funded public services.

“This strike is about more than just one pay dispute; it’s about what kind of society we want to live in: a society where working people struggle to make ends meet, or a society where the people who keep the country running have a say in how wealth is distributed.

“We all need to support the public sector strikes, and workers need to keep fighting until we are in the driving seat of a democratically planned economy.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme