The rising cost of living and its impact on workers will be discussed at a meeting between unions, business groups and Government leaders.
The Taoiseach will chair the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF) which will also be attended by the Tánaiste, Minister for Public Expenditure, Minister for Enterprise, and Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment.
They will hold talks with representatives from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and employer groups including Ibec.
“The meeting will include a discussion on latest developments in relation to energy security and affordability, and broader economic developments and outlook,” a Government spokesperson said.
ICTU sought the meeting to discuss the impact of rising prices on workers, particularly high fuel costs.
The current public sector pay deal is due to expire at the end of June, and negotiations on a successor agreement are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Earlier this week, ICTU General Secretary Owen Reidy warned that the recently announced €500m fuel package will be factored into pay negotiations across all sectors of the economy in the next year.
“The Government has demonstrated, repeatedly, that the loudest lobby wins and that working people, who engage in good faith through proper structures, are rewarded with less than those who disrupt,” Mr Reidy said.
“A Government that can find €500m for one industry at the drop of a hat has no credible case to make for restraint at the pay talks table.
“The Government has set a clear precedent. Workers will remember it,” he added.
Watch: Fuel protests show ‘rules of engagement have changed’ – ICTU
In recent weeks, ICTU President Phil Ní Sheaghdha, who is also General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), has highlighted the impact of rising fuel costs on workers.
The INMO has called on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to pay the highest mileage rates for nurses and midwives working in the community for the duration of the current fuel crisis.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of SIPTU met yesterday to discuss the pressures being felt by workers.
The NEC said it would “support members in pay talks in all sectors of the economy, both the private and public sectors, including in the taking of industrial and strike action to ensure their pay and living standards are protected.”
