MINISTER FOR PUBLIC EXPENDITURE Jack Chambers is “hopeful” that the government will make progress with public sector unions soon. 

His comments come after around 300,000 public sector workers took part in industrial action on Wednesday, resulting in swathes of public amenities and offices being closed for the day. 

Unions have said they will engage in another strike next Wednesday if progress on a new public sector pay deal is not made.

Chambers was responding to the Labour Party’s Private Members’ business in the Dáil today, and he said he wants “to make progress”.

“I am hopeful that may be possible to find a way forward shortly – in the national interests, in workers’ interests, and the interests of the millions of people who rely on our public services.”

He said he was “not in a position to provide specific or further detail at this time”.

“However, I hope to be able to provide further details shortly and as part of an agreed way forward”, he continued. 

Labour finance spokesperson Ged Nash said Chambers has “a narrow window to make a credible proposal that opens the way for meaningful talks”. 

He accused the minister of having a “dismissive, dog in a manger attitude since the expiry of the last deal in June”. 

“His handling of this dispute is bringing a new generation into trade union membership and activism. Workers are seeing the importance of standing together to protect their pay and living standards.” 

Nash said “workers need to know that an agreement will protect and improve their living standards”.

Taoiseach Michael Martin was also asked about the issue today and said: “We want a national pay agreement. We have provided substantial funding for that. We want negotiations to commence in respect of that.

“Previous agreements were over two and a half years, three years in the past – so there’s a framework there that we can create.”

He added: “I think the most important thing now is for both sides to get into a negotiating process.”

The origin of the strike is the expiration of the previous public sector pay deal agreed between unions and the government which ended on 30 June.

As it stands, there is no successor to this agreement and unions and the government cannot agree on the terms of restarting negotiations.

Additional reporting by PA.