Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates. On the issue of non-consultation, I read Ms Nunan's opinion piece in The Irish Times yesterday regarding the reductions in remuneration for new teachers. In respect of accusations that the unions sold out new entrants to the public sector, she states: "The unions were not part of the decision on allowances. In fact the unions were frozen out of this process..." Is it the delegates' view that they were deliberately excluded from those discussions? Are they philosophical about not having been consulted, or is it something they raised with the Government when the process got under way?