"We are being left behind," Mayo SIPTU official says workers are 'left down' due to pay deal delay
"The cost of living has got out of hand as a result of fuel and grocery price increases"
The SIPTU shop steward at Mayo County Council has stated that today's strike action by workers over pay is related significantly to the cost-of-living crisis.
Speaking to The Connaught Telegraph at Aras an Chontae, the HQ of the authority where large numbers of employees are on the picket line, Mr. O'Malley said: "We are being left behind."
He elaborated: "The cost of living has got out of hand as a result of fuel and grocery price increases.
"The average shopping basket has gone up by over €50 in the past two years. This cannot continue.
"We are not asking for a lot, just a bit of consideration.
"People simply cannot keep going due to the cost of living.
"And that's reflected by the big turnout of workers on the picket line here at the Mall and that will be the situation throughout the day.
"If there is no response from the government to our day of action, we will be out again next Wednesday and it will escalate from there.
"Hopefully we don't reach that point. I don't want to be on strike. I would prefer to be at work."
Asked if he was disappointed by the government's in putting a new pay deal in place, he replied: "I would not say disappointed, I feel let down.
"Talks should have been held. They had their chance.
"They left us in a position where we could not go on without taking a stand," he added.
Similar strike action is taking place outside Mayo University Hospital, Davitt House, Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education and Training Board, ATU Mayo Campus and Mayo College of Further Education while all schools are closed across the county as a result of the action.
Independent Castlebar Councillor Harry Barrett has come out strongly in support of today's public sector strike, saying that ordinary working people have had enough of being expected to carry the burden of Ireland's cost-of-living crisis.
Speaking as both a teacher and a public sector worker, Councillor Barrett said: "The government has lost control of energy prices, rents and housing, and who is left picking up the bill? Ordinary working people.
"We are living in one of the most expensive countries in Europe. People are going out to work every morning, paying their taxes, doing everything right, and still struggling to make ends meet.
"There's something badly wrong when a person working full-time can't afford a decent home or is worried about the next electricity bill.
"When you hear of families having to go to the credit union to take out loans to fill their oil tanks you know that it is time to act.
"And instead of getting a grip on these costs, the government expects workers to just put up with it. Well, people have had enough."
Councillor Barrett said the dispute should matter to every worker in Ireland, not just those in the public sector.
"This isn't about public sector workers against private sector workers. We're all facing the same bills, the same rents and the same rising costs.
"I fully support the workers taking action today, and I'm asking workers right across the country to stand with them.
"At the end of the day, it's a simple matter of fairness. People who get up every morning and go out to work should be able to afford a decent standard of living.
"Workers didn't create this crisis, and they shouldn't be expected to pay for it."
Aontú TD for Mayo, Paul Lawless, has said he will not cross the picket line outside Leinster House today in solidarity with the public sector workers on strike this week.
He stated:: "The funds set aside in the budget for a public sector pay rise were nowhere near what is needed.
"The government's attitude to these workers is a significant slap in the face - offering them a pot of money which wouldn't go anywhere close to matching the inflation rate. These people are the backbone of our country.
"They have been forced to strike as a result of the government's refusal to make a commitment around the rate of inflation. These workers are suffering from the cost-of-living crisis, the cost of travel, high energy costs and indeed the price of groceries.
"It is a very basic ask that incomes would be increased at pace with the cost-of-living crisis. Why the government think this is unreasonable is hard to fathom.
"When the government refuse to match inflation, it effectively means a pay cut - the money in this year's paycheck is of less value to the money in last year's.
"The government said before the budget that there would be €2 billion made available in the budget for these negotiations and suddenly this was reduced to €1.3 billion.
"Nurses working on our overcrowded and understaffed hospital wards deserve better than this. The government should be on their knees thanking them for the incredible work they do.
"In schools our class sizes are increasing, our prisons are overcrowded. The people working in these settings are being asked repeatedly to do more work for what is basically less pay, when inflation is factored in.
"There are at least 7,000 Irish medical professionals registered in Australia alone. We are operating in an international recruitment market. If the government does not compete on pay, terms and conditions we will not be able to staff key services".
"A lot of the economic pressure being felt by workers is a result of the government's policies.
"When nurses, teachers and gardaí cannot afford to buy or rent homes in the areas in which they work, it stands to reasons that there will be wage pressures. government failure in the housing sector is one of the main drivers in wage inflation in Ireland.
"Fuel and energy inflation has added 1.1% to Ireland's general inflation rate. The government presides over the highest electricity prices in the whole of the EU. 45% of the price of a litre of petrol is government tax"
"Aontú has long called for reforms in public service.
"Senior high-paid civil servants earning above €100,000 should have their salaries linked to performance. The HSE is management-heavy and really needs to invest more in the frontlines.
"These reforms can happen simultaneously to a negotiated agreement that makes sure that front line staff can afford to live in this country. It is not one or the other - the government should do both."