More than 300,000 public sector workers are due to go on strike for 24 hours on Wednesday, barring a last-minute intervention.
Employees are seeking a new public sector deal, with trade unions arguing that pay terms must be agreed before other issues are addressed.
An attempt by Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers to initiate talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was swiftly rebuffed by union leaders on Monday, meaning the strike appears almost inevitable.
Here is what you need to know about the strike and its expected impact.
Who is going on strike?
Much of Ireland’s public sector is set to go on strike on Wednesday in the biggest industrial action of its kind since the height of the financial crisis in 2009.
More than 300,000 workers including teachers, doctors, nurses and civil servants are due to take part.
Widespread disruption is expected, with picket lines outside hospitals, schools, courts and many other work places.
Leinster House will also be closed.
Why is the strike happening?
The Public Service Agreement 2024–2026 expired in June and a new deal has not yet been reached.
The strike is happening because of an impasse between trade unions and the Government on the basis for entering talks to finalise a new agreement.
Unions are arguing that pay terms must be agreed before other issues – such as productivity – are discussed, as workers continue to be adversely impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
The Government has rejected this condition, saying it represents a break from previous deals.
Chambers briefed his Cabinet colleagues on Tuesday on what were described as “substantial efforts” to engage with union leaders and emphasise the Government remains ready to attend talks at the WRC in the hope of averting the strike.
In a letter sent to the officers of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) public services committee on Monday, Chambers described the provision of €1.2 billion for public sector pay in the budget as “significant” and said “pay issues can and should be discussed as a priority alongside other matters as part of the pay talks”.
In its response to the Minister, Ictu accused the Government side of failing to honour commitments made in the agreement that expired in June.
Trade unions have indicated they will seek increases to address what they say was an earlier gap between pay rises and inflation of between 5 and 7 per cent, in addition to a settlement for the second half of this year, and an undertaking that their members’ wages will not be undermined by the cost of living increasing over the term of any deal.
The €1.2 billion, they contended, is not nearly enough to address those demands.
Will hospitals be affected by the strike?
Tens of thousands of medical appointments are expected to be cancelled on Wednesday with the HSE warning of “significant and widespread disruption”.
All non-urgent healthcare services and outpatient appointments in hospitals and community settings are expected to be cancelled. Patients should have already been informed about the cancellations.
Some 32,000 public sector nurses will be involved in the strike, and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said staffing levels broadly equivalent to overnight rosters would be provided, with the action only affecting hospital day shifts.
“We have already said we’ll cover all life-preserving services, dialysis, chemotherapy, all of those services; there’s just no debate about that kind of stuff,” INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said.
Dentists working in the HSE will also join the strike.
About 2,000 laboratory scientists are also due to strike, causing the postponement of, or delays to, patient tests.
Emergency departments, urgent cancer care and dialysis, and GP services will be available on Wednesday. Ambulance services will also be available, though curtailed.
Siptu has said fire brigades will operate with reduced services.
Will schools and colleges be closed?
Schools, colleges and universities are all expected to close on Wednesday.
About 90,000 teachers are due to strike.
The main teaching unions – including the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland and the Irish Federation of University Teachers – are all taking part in the industrial action.
Special needs assistants, who are represented by Fórsa trade union, will also be on strike.
How will courts be affected?
The Courts Service said, if the strike goes ahead as planned, it would have no option but to close the vast majority of courts countrywide on Wednesday.
Some exceptions have been agreed with unions to ensure emergency applications related to domestic violence or child-safety issues could be heard.
An Garda Síochána will be able to apply to have accused people remanded in custody where station bail has not been granted.
Will driving tests be impacted?
All driving tests scheduled for Wednesday have been cancelled because staff from the Road Safety Authority will be taking part in the strike.
Cancelled tests will be rescheduled for later dates.
Will libraries and parks be closed?
Many libraries across the country will be closed as local authority workers are due to take part in the strike.
Civil servants will also be on strike, meaning all heritage sites and parks operated by the Office of Public Works are expected to close on Wednesday. However, roads in the Phoenix Park in Dublin will remain open.
Who is not striking?
Gardaí and members of the Defence Forces are public sector workers but are legally prohibited from taking part in the strike, meaning they will be working on Wednesday.
Public transport services are also expected to operate as normal.