Unions suspend next week's planned strike action

Updated / Friday, Staff on strike at the Regional Hospital Mullingar on Wednesday By Fiachra Ó Cionnaith Brian O'Donovan Public sector unions have suspended next Wednesday's planned strike action following discussions with the Government. More than 300,000 public sector workers including nurses, doctors, teachers and civil servants, engaged in strike action last Wednesday over delays in agreeing a new public sector pay deal. In a statement earlier, the Public Services Committee of ICTU said that following discussions with Government representatives "over the last 24 hours, a meeting of the 19 unions affiliated to the ICTU PSC has agreed to suspend strike action due to take place next Wednesday". PSC Chair Kevin Callinan said that the Government agreed to appoint independent third party Kevin Foley, to carry out "an intensive and focused exercise aimed at constructing a basis for formal negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission". Mr Callinan said that Mr Foley will be assisted , and that the process may get under way tomorrow morning. The Government confirmed this evening that Kevin Foley, Oonagh Buckley and Owen Reidy have been appointed to undertake a "focused and intensive exercise with the parties aimed at constructing a basis for formal negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission". Mr Callinan added that while next Wednesday's strike action has been suspended, the work-to-rule action will continue. Watch: RTÉ's Work and Technology Correspondent Brian O'Donovan reports on this evening's developments We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences In a statement this evening, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he hopes the initiative "will allow for all sides to move forward together into meaningful negotiation and ultimately to a successful conclusion". "I hugely value the contributions our public service workers make. They are the backbone of our healthcare, social care, education and so many other sectors. "There is now a real opportunity to make progress where both parties are prepared to come together and explore the various issues, with a genuine commitment to dialogue," he said. Watch: Minister welcomes the decision to suspend next week's strike action Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said there is "a real opportunity to make progress" as both parties come together. "I am confident there is a genuine commitment to dialogue and I hope that this initiative will now allow both sides to move forward together into meaningful negotiation," he said in a statement this evening.