Unite members reject new national pay deal
Members of Ireland's second-largest trade union have voted by a significant majority to reject the new national pay deal.
Unite's 60,000 members have voted by three to one to reject the pay rises agreed by the social partners following weeks of negotiation earlier this year.
The Unite leadership had campaigned for a 'no' vote, claiming its members would be better off if they were free to negotiate wages at a local level.
The union's rejection of the deal is a significant blow, but the fate of the pay agreement will effectively be decided tomorrow when SIPTU reveals the result of its ballot.
The country's largest union has urged its members to support the deal as the best package available in the current economic climate.
