Ireland: Public sector strike on 24 November

Irish public service unions staged a 24-hour strike on Tuesday 24 November in protest of government plans for more cuts to public sector pay. Last March public servants already suffered a pay cut of around 7% and now the Government is prepared to do the same thing again, hitting family incomes, public services, and the local economy. Public sector unions are up for a fair and workable alternative but the Government isn’t prepared to listen.
The strike was followed throughout the public sector, but the unions agreed to withdraw the strike notice from regions where recent floods and bad weather had caused widespread hardship and genuine emergency situations. Members of almost all public service unions affiliated to Irish Council of Trade Uunions (ICTU) voted to strike. They include the AHCPS, ASTI, CPSU, IFUT, Impact, INO, INTO, POA, PSEU, SIPTU, TUI, Unite and the craft unions. Excepting essential and emergency cover, staff across education, health, local authorities and the civil service agreed to join the strike.
Gardaí (police) members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) cannot legally take industrial action but they refused to perform overtime, and vowed to be lenient in handing out penalties for traffic offences. The GRA urged its members not to use their own laptops and mobile phones for official purposes. Off-duty gardaí joined pickets alongside health and prison staff.
PSI has sent a letter of support  to its Irish affiliates and applauds their efforts to find workable solutions, which would not only see jobs protected but the level and quality of vital services maintained.

Read more from The Post.ie: http://www.sbpost.ie/newsfeatures/pulling-the-plug-45784.html

Click here for Impact's "Why we're on strike" flyer.
http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/pub/crisis/strike/whyonstrike.pdf

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