A nationwide walkout over pay

On Wednesday, 14 October 2026, around 300,000 public sector workers stopped work across Ireland in a one-day strike over pay. Teachers, hospital staff, civil servants and others took part, and picket lines formed outside the parliament in Dublin. Most schools, colleges and universities closed, and thousands of medical appointments were cancelled. Emergency departments stayed open, and fire and rescue services ran with reduced staffing, while public transport operated as normal. The action was the first large strike by civil servants since the 2009 financial crisis.

How the dispute built up

The row dates to 30 June, when the Public Service Agreement expired without a replacement, and talks have been stalled since. Unions want a new deal that would cover the second half of 2026, protect future purchasing power, and address the losses they say members have suffered to inflation since 2021. Ministers have tied any pay settlement to a wider agreement, while unions want pay addressed up front. The work-to-rule began on 30 September and involved more than 100,000 workers across health, education, local authorities and the civil service. It widened on 5 October to include the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, and the Teachers' Union of Ireland joined on 12 October. On 6 October the government delivered Budget 2027, which allocated 1.2 billion euros for a new pay deal.

Cost of living on the picket line

Consumer price inflation reached 4.1% in the 12 months through September, the highest rate since January 2024, according to Ireland's Central Statistics Office. Housing costs rose 9.5% over the same period and transport expenses rose 7.5%. Hospital porter Conor Carroll, picketing at St. Michael's Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, said the dispute was all about the cost of living. In Limerick, SIPTU representative Eugene Taffe said wages had been eroded by inflation and cited food inflation of 14%, arguing that the current offer amounted to something like 2.5%. INMO representative Gary Savage said rent had become nearly impossible for nurses, who are living further from hospitals and paying more for petrol.

Voices from the picket lines

Kevin Callinan, general secretary of Fórsa, spoke at Mater Hospital in Dublin and blamed the government for failing to address workers' pay demands. He said the government needed to respond to members across the country.

The government needs to respond to our members today, right across the country.

Kate Miskella, secretary of the Wexford branch of Fórsa, said outside Wexford General Hospital that she and her colleagues had been left with no option but to strike. She said the support of passing drivers, who sounded their horns, showed the public backed them, and that further action was planned for next week if no solution was agreed.

Nobody wants to be out here on this strike today, but we have been left with no alternative.

Services hit and the courts

Met Éireann forecasts were not updated after 10pm on Tuesday, 13 October, because staff at the national forecaster struck from 9am to 5pm. Derogations kept aviation forecasts running and allowed some sea area forecasts to continue for the coast guard's search-and-rescue work. At the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street in Dublin, staff picketing the steps kept the doors effectively closed. Court sittings were cancelled nationwide, except for emergency domestic violence and childcare applications, Garda applications to remand an accused in custody where station bail had not been granted, and High Court injunctions protecting life, health, safety or welfare. A notice issued by order of a District Court judge pushed bulk cases into November and December and moved new station bail cases to Thursday, 15 October.

Government response and what comes next

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was open to acting as an 'honest broker' in the pay dispute and said the budget gave 'a very strong foundation' for talks. He said he detected goodwill on all sides.

I think the foundations are there for a very substantive engagement between unions and government, and we certainly will be doing everything we possibly can.

Martin later welcomed the tone and attitude of the union leaders, and Callinan spoke of some reasons for optimism after the government signalled that pay could be discussed. Jack Chambers, the Minister for Public Expenditure, said on RTÉ's Prime Time on the night of Tuesday, 13 October, that pay could be the starting point for negotiations. Kieran Mulvey, a former director general of the Workplace Relations Commission, said both sides should quickly reach a deal. If no agreement is reached, a second strike day is planned for 21 October.