Industrial Action 2026

The current dispute arises following the expiry of the Public Service Agreement 2024– 2026 on 30 June 2026 and the absence of a successor public service pay agreement.

No, the dispute is a national dispute across the public sector and concerns the absence of a successor national public service pay agreement. Trinity College Dublin is not responsible for negotiating the national public service pay agreement.

A number of public service unions are involved in coordinated industrial action across the public and civil service.

UNITE, IFUT and SIPTU have confirmed industrial action involving its members at Trinity College Dublin.

The University has received formal notices of industrial action from a number of trade unions (as outlined in point 3 above). These are as follows:

UNITE:

• 14 October 2026: 24-hour strike
• 21 October 2026: 24-hour strike

IFUT:

• 5 October 2026: Withdrawal of labour from 12.00pm - 1.00pm
• 14 October 2026: 24-hour strike
• 21 October 2026: 24-hour strike

SIPTU:

• A work to rule from 7 October 2026 onwards
• 14 October 2026: 24-hour strike
• 21 October 2026: 24-hour strike

Craft trade unions (BATU, CONNECT, Painters Union) have not served notice of any form of industrial action to Trinity College Dublin.

To support a coordinated and proportionate response to the industrial action, the Chief Operating Officer has established an Industrial Action Preparedness Group. The Group is overseeing operational readiness across the University, reviewing risks and dependencies, and helping ensure that essential services, safety, welfare and critical activities are appropriately protected during periods of industrial action.  Please contact your Head of Area should you have any immediate queries in relation to your work arrangements.

The University has asked all Heads of Area to undertake continuity planning using a four-tier prioritisation framework: Must Continue, Must Protect, Reduce or Close, and Pause. This approach is designed to ensure that essential services, safety, welfare, critical research, and statutory obligations are appropriately protected during periods of industrial action. The purpose of continuity planning is not to maintain business as usual. Many activities that are important under normal circumstances may need to be reduced, postponed or temporarily paused where this can be done safely. Heads of Area have been asked to focus on identifying activities that are genuinely critical to safety, security, welfare, the protection of research, critical infrastructure, and legal or regulatory responsibilities.

It is each employee’s own personal decision as to whether they partake in the planned industrial action. If you are a member of a trade union, you should refer to communications issued by your own trade union.

The University does not maintain operational records of union membership for industrial relations purposes and cannot advise individual employees whether they should or should not participate in industrial action.

SIPTU has served notice of work-to-rule for their members commencing on Wednesday 7 October 2026. No end date has been advised so far.

The formal SIPTU notice states that participating members will work strictly within:

• Contracted hours
• Agreed job descriptions
• Established procedures
• Agreed staffing arrangements
• The duties associated with their grade.

SIPTU union members in administrative, IT Services, Financial Services Division, security, library services, attendant services, visitor services, residential services at Darty, catering, day nursery, housekeeping, sports, laboratory attendants and general operative staff cohorts such as logistics and campus maintenance will work strictly within their contracted hours, grade, job description, agreed staffing levels and established procedures.

Trinity operate as normal during the work-to-rule period. At the moment it is not expected that the work to rule will affect the current operating hours of the Library, Sports Centre, Service Centres (IT, HR, FIS, Estates & Facilities, Academic Registry), Day Nursery, College Health, Counselling, Disability Services, Visitor services, Accommodation office or Catering outlets. Service arrangements will be kept under review, and any changes will be communicated as needed.

Overtime is not banned under the work-to-rule period, employees who are asked to volunteer for overtime may do so if they wish.

Training activity can generally continue unless:

• The activity is directly affected by industrial action
• Key facilitators are unavailable
• Attendance levels mean the event can no longer be delivered effectively.

Routine operational meetings, management meetings, committee meetings and support activities can continue unless there is a specific operational reason preventing them from doing so. Where attendance at meetings may be affected by industrial action, organisers should review arrangements and make decisions on a case-by-case basis.

The University will continue to engage with its established external suppliers, contractor partners and consultants. The work-to-rule period does not prohibit employees from engaging with established contract partners’ in areas such as security services, attendant services and housekeeping services, IT Services established Managed Service Partners, agency support to ensure regulatory childcare ratios are maintained where needed, and contract partners engaged to transport books to the main campus.

Other than the above, where participating members decline engagement with external parties, management should consider any alternative arrangements to maintain normal operational requirements as necessary.

IFUT, Unite & SIPTU have announced a 24-hour strike on 14 and 21 October. Union members participating in the strike will withdraw their labour for these days (from 00:01 until 00:00)

On 14 October, the campus will be accessible to employees, students and residents on the strike day including external contractors . However, it will be closed to the public.

Employees who are not participating in industrial action and available for work should discuss their work arrangements for the day with their line manager.

This position will remain under review, and any necessary changes to our operating arrangements will be communicated as the situation develops.

On 14 October, for safety reasons, buildings at College Green, Foster Place and the School of Nursing and Midwifery on D’Olier Street will be limited to employees only using their swipe cards.

Please see Campus Access Arrangements table at bottom of page for more information. 

Research lab activities should be planned accordingly to minimise risk and ensure safe shutdown or supervision arrangements are in place as there will be limited emergency services on the days of the national strikes if needed. Please see question 43 for more information.

On strike days, priority will be given to maintaining essential services, safety, welfare support, critical infrastructure and activities that require protection due to legal, regulatory, research or safety considerations.

On 14 October, please note that the following will be closed:

• All catering outlets, and there will be no Commons
• The Library Complex, Hamilton and John Stearne libraries (however, the 24-hour spaces of Kinsella Hall and the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room will remain open)
• The Day Nursery
• All sports facilities
• Visitor Experiences
• All events have either been cancelled or rescheduled.

Employees who are not participating in the strike and available for work should discuss their work arrangements for the day with their line manager.

Employees are encouraged to notify their manager as early as possible if they know that their participation in industrial action may affect their availability for work or their ability to undertake scheduled duties. Early notification assists the University in planning for essential and emergency cover.

However, employees are not required to disclose trade union membership. Managers should not seek information regarding union membership and should focus only on operational arrangements and workforce planning.

Employees cannot be paid for periods of absence due to industrial action, as it is considered a withdrawal of labour under employment legislation. HR will be in contact seeking this information for payroll processing purposes in due course.

Acknowledge receipt of the information and revise workplans as necessary for during the absence. Do not question or enter into discussion about the employee’s decision.

Routine work should not be directed to an employee while they are participating in a strike.

It may be appropriate to contact an employee participating in industrial action in exceptional circumstances such as a security emergency or an exceptional health and safety matter. There is agreement in place with participating trade unions for essential and emergency response.

No. Employees are not required to disclose their trade union membership.

Where operational planning is required, managers may discuss availability for specific duties or activities on the strike days but should not request information regarding union membership.

Peaceful picketing in furtherance of a trade dispute is provided for under section 11 of the Industrial Relations Act 1990.

In the event that there is a picket, the University expects all interactions around picket lines to remain peaceful and respectful.

The decision to cross a picket line is a personal choice.  For employees who are not participating in the strike, but who choose not to cross the picket line, it is considered a withdrawal of labour under employment legislation, and those individuals cannot be paid for the day. We understand this is a sensitive matter, and we ask everyone to respect one another during this time. 

All teaching activity (e.g. lectures, labs, tutorials etc.) scheduled for 14 October will not take place. Information for 21 October will follow in due course.

Certain lectures and laboratory classes which do not take place may be rescheduled at a future time where appropriate, i.e. classes for which there is a statutory / regulatory attendance requirement (for example, Medicine). 

The impact of industrial action may vary across the College/Schools. Relevant Schools will communicate directly with affected students and employees.

No, individual employee’s trade union membership or participation in industrial action will not be communicated. Students will receive information about the service impact rather than personal information about an employee.

All events scheduled for 14 October are either cancelled or postponed. Information for 21 October will follow in due course.

Derogations have been agreed between Trinity and the relevant trade union partners in respect of essential and/or critical services during the strike action.

• Essential services include:
  • Employee welfare and emergency response
  • Student welfare and emergency response
  • Health and safety
  • Laboratory safety
  • Essential Research Infrastructure
  • Estates & Facilities essential services
  • Security and Emergency Response
  • Critical infrastructure
  • Payroll
  • IT systems

Schools and departments should identify critical deadlines in advance. Where a deadline is affected directly by industrial action, the responsible area should determine whether an extension or alternative arrangement is appropriate.

Approved blended working arrangements will continue to apply during the period of industrial action.  Employees available for work should confirm and discuss blended working arrangements with their manager in advance of the strike days.

Employees who are absent due to illness on strike days must submit medical certification in accordance with the University's Sick Leave Policy and normal absence reporting procedures, even if just for one day. 

Existing certified sick leave arrangements will not be affected. Employees who are absent on certified sick leave will be managed in accordance with the University's Sick Leave Policy and normal procedures.

An employee on an authorised statutory or approved absence will remain recorded under that absence and the terms of the relevant leave will apply.

Annual leave which has already been formally approved will proceed as usual, unless employees are advised otherwise.

However, due to contingency planning requirements associated with industrial action, requests for annual leave on 14 October and 21 October submitted after Monday 5 October will not normally be approved.

Leave requested after strike notification should only be approved where it is for bona fide reasons unrelated to the industrial action and, in line with leave policies, subject to operational requirements and service needs on a case-by-case basis.

Students should be given factual information. Employees should explain the operational position and any alternative arrangements available.

On 14 October, the campus will be accessible to employees, students and residents on the strike day including external contractors required to undertake essential work.

Yes, the campus will be closed to the public on this day. 

Library opening hours will remain as normal, except for the National Strike Day on Wednesday 14 October when the Library Complex, Hamilton and John Stearne libraries will not be available to users.

The 24-hour spaces of Kinsella Hall and the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room will remain open on the national strike day of Wednesday 14 October. 

There will be some disruption to services during the planned industrial action:

• From Monday 12 October, until further notice, the Admissions service will be suspended. No new applications for access to the Library will be accepted until the industrial action concludes.
• There may be some delays to deliveries from storage.
• There may be some interruption to Research Collections Study Centre opening hours

Readers are advised to check the Library website here where the latest updates will be posted. 

The Sport Department services will not be available for ALL sports facilities on Wednesday 14 October.

All Lab users must carry out a safety shut down of systems within labs the evening before the strike days to ensure safety is maintained during that day

• Secure physical hazards, such as sharps
• Close all gas valves and water taps
• Lock all outer lab doors
• Where reasonably possible all equipment is switched off
• Secure the hazardous materials are safely and securely stored

Where safety systems/resources (i.e. First aiders; Fire wardens; supervision) are unavailable then for research in labs/workshops/field trips, a separate risk assessment should be drawn up as to how safety will be managed for the duration of the strike.

When determining any essential activity levels, research laboratories should be mindful that emergency cover on campus is expected to be more limited during industrial action. In addition, external emergency and health services will also be operating under reduced capacity due to industrial action elsewhere, including Dublin Fire Brigade and local hospital services.

All catering outlet services will not be available on 14 October and there will be no Commons on that date.

No, the Day Nursery services will not be available on 14 October.  

No, all Visitor Experiences will be closed on that date.   

All events have either been cancelled or rescheduled.

Derogations have been agreed between Trinity and the relevant trade union partners in respect of essential and/or critical services during the strike action. 

Essential services include:  

• Employee welfare and emergency response
• Student welfare and emergency response
• Health and safety
• Laboratory safety
• Essential Research Infrastructure
• Estates & Facilities essential services
• Security and Emergency Response
• Critical infrastructure
• Payroll
• IT systems

This dispute is public sector-wide regarding a successor national public service pay agreement, rather than specifically related to Trinity as an individual employer. We will continue normal industrial relations engagement, and we will maintain open communication with our trade union partners.

The current planned action involves broad public sector unions representing health, civil service, and education workers. This will impact Primary and/or Secondary Schools. Employees are advised to consult with their children’s schools as to their particular arrangements on the strike days.

No, disruption is not expected. The current planned action involves broad public sector unions (representing health, civil service, and education workers), while public transport unions negotiate through separate industrial relations channels. As members of the CIÉ Group [Irish Rail, Bus Éireann & Dublin Bus] are semi-state commercial entities, their employees are not comprehended by the terms of public sector agreements.

To give students and their families as much advance notice as possible, it has been decided that the three Commencements ceremonies scheduled for 21 October will now take place on Monday 19 October. Students who are unable to attend on 19 October may choose to graduate in absentia on that date or, subject to availability, attend a Commencements ceremony at a later date. Academic Registry has contacted all affected students directly with details of their rescheduled ceremony and the options available to them.

No, students due to present for clinical placement on 14 October are not required to attend and this messaging has been communicated to our Hospital partners.