Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Sunday, 18 October, at Bodenstown, rejected Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary’s suggestion that he would “buckle” and “roll over” to public-sector unions. The Irish Times reported the remarks. O’Leary had written in the Business Post. Martin said he believes in the public service, but that any new pay deal must be affordable and must advance productivity.

He would not be drawn on detail: neither whether higher-paid staff would get a smaller percentage rise than lower-paid ones, nor whether the €1.2 billion set aside in the budget for a deal could be topped up from a €1.6 billion contingency fund. “Nothing is decided, no precise figures have even been mentioned yet.” Talks, he said, had to start first.

On Monday, 19 October, government and unions were due at the Workplace Relations Commission. A government-appointed group, Kevin Foley, Owen Reidy and Oonagh Buckley, wrote on Saturday that talks should start with pay, including cost-of-living claims for 2021–2025. The Taoiseach’s statement confirms that basis. It is not an agreement.

On Wednesday more than 300,000 public workers struck. A second day, set for the following Wednesday, was suspended on Friday after the 19 ICTU committee unions accepted the Foley process. Kevin Callinan announced the suspension. Sinn Féin called the deadlock “a mess of the government’s making.” That is a political position, not a verdict.

Martin recalled that earlier deals had tried to protect lower pay more. He left the shape on the WRC table. Sean Canney told RTÉ he was confident a successor to the national agreement would be found “in the not too distant future.” His confidence is not a timetable.

O’Leary’s words remain a businessman’s opinion. Martin’s reply is a negotiating line, not a contract. Until a WRC text appears, the €1.2 billion and €1.6 billion figures sit in the budget as allocations, not as pay. This is not pay advice.

Image: David Kernan, Leinster House, Dublin, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; the Oireachtas seat, not the 18 October 2026 Bodenstown commemoration.

Sources consulted: Taoiseach rejects Michael O'Leary's view that he would buckle to public sector unions - The Irish Times; Government Press Statement 17 October 2026 - Department of the Taoiseach.