Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

As I note that the Minister has not made a commitment to the level of service to be provided, I will move on.

The acting CEO confirmed in the statement made to the committee that nothing he had said or issued in recent weeks constituted preconditions. One can argue that what is stated in the letter does not constitute preconditions but a negotiating position, if one stretches it a little. I will tell the committee what a precondition is. Mr. Hernan has stated publicly that he will unilaterally cut the driver's allowance for working on a Sunday, overtime, meal allowances, etc. in 19 days if the unions do not submit to something like this plan in negotiations. Even if talks begin in the morning, unless Mr. Hernan withdraws his statement, he is effectively saying they talks have 18 days in which to succeed or he will slash take home pay. That does not constitute a blank sheet of paper. To be blunt, I call it a bloody big precondition. If the Minister is genuine in the point he made about having a blank sheet of paper, will he call on Mr. Hernan to withdraw this precondition?