Public Sector Craft Workers Set for Strike from September 28 After 95% Vote for Action Over Pay Gap
Approximately 2,000 public sector craft workers — including electricians, plumbers, fitters, and other skilled tradespeople employed by government departments, local authorities, and the Health Service Executive — have voted 95 per cent in favour of industrial action, with strikes potentially beginning from September 28. The dispute, led by the Public Sector Craft Group of Unions, centres on a demand to restore an "analogue" pay-setting mechanism that historically linked public sector craft pay to private sector rates — a system that was suspended following the 2008 financial crisis and that unions argue has left their members earning approximately €4.40 per hour less than their private sector counterparts.
Background
The Public Sector Craft Group of Unions is a coalition comprising Connect, Unite, SIPTU, BATU, and OPTASI, representing skilled tradespeople who provide essential maintenance services for government buildings, hospitals, schools, local authority facilities, and other public infrastructure across Ireland. These workers — electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, and other craft grades — are employed directly by the state rather than through private contractors, and their pay is set through a separate mechanism from the broader public sector pay agreements that cover civil servants and other public employees.
The "analogue" pay-setting mechanism that the unions are seeking to restore was a system under which public sector craft pay was benchmarked against private sector rates and adjusted accordingly. The system was suspended in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, when the government implemented a series of emergency measures to reduce public spending, including pay cuts and pay freezes across the public sector. While most public sector workers have seen their pay restored and increased through subsequent pay agreements, the craft workers argue that the suspension of the analogue mechanism has left them permanently behind their private sector counterparts.
An independent review commissioned by the unions found that public sector craft workers are currently paid approximately €4.40 per hour less than their counterparts in the private sector — a gap that the unions describe as both unfair and damaging to recruitment and retention. The Department of Public Expenditure has maintained that the matter should be addressed through the "Local Bargaining" mechanism established under the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, a position that the unions have rejected as inadequate.
Key Developments
The 95 per cent vote in favour of industrial action represents an overwhelming mandate for the union leadership to pursue the dispute. The National Strike Committee of the PSCGOU holds the authority to determine the specific nature and timing of the actions, which could include work-to-rule, refusal of overtime, and potential full strike action. The committee has indicated that action could commence as early as September 28, 2026, if the Department of Public Expenditure does not engage meaningfully with the unions' demands before that date.
The potential impact of industrial action by public sector craft workers is significant. These workers provide essential maintenance services for hospitals, schools, government buildings, and other public facilities. A work-to-rule or strike by electricians and plumbers employed by the HSE, for example, could affect the maintenance of critical hospital infrastructure. A similar action by craft workers employed by local authorities could affect the maintenance of public buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. The unions have emphasised that they are aware of the potential impact of their action and that they will take steps to ensure that essential services are maintained during any dispute.
Connect trade union, one of the leading unions in the PSCGOU, has stated that it has exhausted all avenues for resolution and that the Department of Public Expenditure has refused to engage meaningfully on the issue. "Our members are skilled professionals who provide essential services to the state," a Connect spokesperson said. "They deserve to be paid fairly for that work, and the current gap between their pay and private sector rates is simply not sustainable."
Why It Matters
The public sector craft workers' dispute is part of a broader pattern of industrial unrest in Ireland's public sector, driven by the combination of rising living costs, the perception that pay increases have not kept pace with inflation, and specific grievances about the fairness of pay-setting mechanisms. The dispute is distinct from the broader, separate tensions surrounding the lack of a new national public sector pay deal — it is a specific claim about the restoration of a particular pay-setting mechanism that the unions argue was wrongly suspended and never properly restored.
The €4.40 per hour gap between public and private sector craft pay is significant in practical terms. For a full-time electrician working 40 hours per week, it represents a difference of approximately €9,000 per year — a substantial sum that affects workers' ability to meet the cost of living, particularly in urban areas where housing costs are high. The recruitment and retention implications are also significant: if public sector craft pay falls too far behind private sector rates, the state will struggle to attract and retain the skilled workers it needs to maintain its infrastructure.
The government's response to the dispute will be watched closely by other public sector unions, who are monitoring the outcome as a potential precedent for their own pay claims. The Department of Public Expenditure's insistence that the matter should be addressed through the Local Bargaining mechanism is seen by the unions as an attempt to limit the scope of any settlement, and the outcome of the dispute will have implications for the broader public sector pay landscape.
Local Impact
The impact of industrial action by public sector craft workers would be felt across Ireland, but it would be particularly significant in the health sector. HSE facilities across the country — from major hospitals in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick to smaller community hospitals and health centres — rely on the maintenance services provided by craft workers. A prolonged dispute could affect the ability of these facilities to maintain their infrastructure and to respond to maintenance emergencies. Local authorities across the country would also be affected, with potential impacts on the maintenance of public buildings, parks, and other facilities. The unions have indicated that they will seek to minimise the impact on essential services, but the potential for disruption is real.
What's Next
The National Strike Committee of the PSCGOU is expected to meet before September 28 to determine the specific nature and timing of the industrial action. The Department of Public Expenditure has been urged by the unions to engage in meaningful talks before that date. The Labour Court has been identified as a potential forum for resolving the dispute, and both sides have been urged to engage with that process. The Taoiseach is expected to be briefed on the dispute before the end of the week, and the matter is likely to be raised in the Dáil when it returns from recess. A resolution before September 28 is possible but would require a significant shift in the government's position.
