Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Seven years on from that, the Minister turns around to blame the trade unions. It is just extraordinary. The comment should be withdrawn by the Minister. A Government decision is required, not a decision by the trade unions. The teachers' unions rejected the pay agreement at the time. Perhaps the Minister will give us more details on those pay talks, to which I am not privy, and the suggestion that the unions did not fight for this.