Public sector workers have called for increased starting salaries in the civil and public service amid claims that pay for new entrants is far too low.
Motions on the issue have been passed at the biennial conference of Fórsa, the country's largest public sector trade union.
More than 700 delegates have gathered in Killarney, Co Kerry for the event which began last night and will run until tomorrow.
Around 200 motions are being debated on topics including pay, remote working, sick leave, pensions, artificial intelligence and the rise of the far right.
In his address to the conference, Fórsa General Secretary Kevin Callinan called for a shift in how the government engages with unions.
"When a relationship is so flawed and unequal, the best thing you can do is leave. I'm not interested in being part of it anymore," Mr Callinan said.
He called for a move away from short termism to a more long-term vision for the country and warned that the next public sector pay talks, in two years time, will be tougher than ever.
In his address, Mr Callinan described the Secretary General of the Department of Health Robert Watt as the "captain of the austerity ship" and accused him of trying to "gaslight" health workers by suggesting they were in some way responsible for long waiting lists.
Public sector workers call for higher starting salaries
Public sector workers have called for increased starting salaries in the civil and public service amid claims that pay for new entrants is far too low.
