Fórsa warns of winter strikes as Irish public service stoppage approaches

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan warned on Saturday, 10 October, that Irish public service workers could take further strike action through the winter if no pay agreement is reached. More than 300,000 workers are preparing for a 24-hour stoppage across Ireland on Wednesday, 14 October, with schools expected to close and the Health Service Executive planning widespread cancellations of non-urgent care.

Callinan told RTÉ that workers felt they had ‘no choice’ but to strike. His warning concerns what could happen after the October stoppages; it is not an announcement of a scheduled winter strike. The Irish Times reported that union leaders were discussing possible escalation in November if negotiations failed to make progress in the coming weeks.

What the 14 October strike means for patients

The HSE says it is planning to cancel all non-urgent healthcare services in hospitals and community settings on 14 October. Its notice lists routine hospital procedures, outpatient appointments, community day services, primary care clinics and other scheduled care. Administrative services will also be affected. Healthcare teams have begun contacting patients, and the HSE says cancelled appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Emergency departments will remain open, according to the HSE. Ambulance services will operate on a curtailed basis, while critical, time-sensitive care including urgent cancer treatment and dialysis will continue. GPs, out-of-hours GP services and pharmacies will remain available. The HSE says people who need urgent medical attention should still seek it, including through an emergency department or by calling 999 or 112.

Disruption will reach beyond healthcare. RTÉ and The Irish Times report that schools are expected to close during the stoppage. The Irish Times says essential services will be maintained, although it expects widespread disruption across other public services. SIPTU has also announced further strike action for 21 October, RTÉ reported; The Irish Times likewise says another stoppage is scheduled for the following Wednesday.

Why the public service pay talks remain unresolved

Callinan said preliminary discussions took place in June but, in his view, the Government’s position had not changed since then. He said unions wanted to address living costs in a multi-annual pay agreement, including a provision for the part of 2026 not covered by the previous deal. He described the Government as seeking talks about modernisation, reform, workplace change and fiscal limits.

In his RTÉ interview, Callinan said the average public service pay rise this year would be 1.5%, compared with inflation of 4.1% that he attributed to the Central Statistics Office. He argued that the €1.2 billion set aside in the Budget for a pay deal would allow, at best, a 2.5% increase next year. He also said the average public servant was at least 5% behind prices over 2021 to 2025. Those comparisons are his account of the pay gap and the Budget’s effect.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin told The Irish Times that the strikes were unnecessary and said the €1.2 billion Budget provision offered a basis for negotiations. Unions dismissed that amount as insufficient. The Department of Public Expenditure told the paper that officials were available to engage constructively without preconditions and that contingency planning was under way to limit disruption and keep services running.

What could happen after October’s stoppages

Callinan told RTÉ that Fórsa was planning around the 14 October strike, action the following Wednesday and the possibility of industrial action into November. He warned there could be ‘lots of industrial action through the winter’ if an agreement was not reached. The Irish Times reported similar warnings from union figures about escalation if talks did not get under way or produce progress. Neither report establishes a timetable for November strikes.

The immediate question for patients is which appointments and services can be maintained on 14 October. The HSE says that will become clearer as it continues contingency discussions with health sector unions. For the wider dispute, the unresolved question is whether the Government and unions can agree on the scope and terms of pay negotiations before the planned October stoppages lead to further action.