Ireland Reaches New Public Sector Pay Deal to Prevent Further Strikes

The Irish government has reached a draft pay agreement with public sector trade unions, offering average cumulative salary increases of 10.75% through early 2029. The deal also aims to end industrial action, pending approval by union members.

The agreement follows the expiry of the previous pay deal in June and a widespread strike last month, the country’s first major public sector strike since 2009. A second planned strike scheduled for Thursday has been suspended following the negotiations. The new agreement will be backdated to July 2026 and run until March 2029, with an estimated cost of €5.2 billion spread across five government budgets.

The proposal gives greater increases to lower-paid workers, with some receiving salary hikes of up to 18.3%. Starting pay for cleaners is set to rise by 18.3%, while police officers could receive 14.6% and primary school teachers 13.1%. Trade unions will now ask their members to vote on the proposed agreement.

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