Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I would always prefer that everyone stayed within the centralised arrangement and it would be negotiated on that basis. As the Deputy knows, with practically every agreement some large group, for one reason or other, pulls out. However, MANDATE workers and lower paid workers are the big winners when one looks back over the years on positions maintained in this country as against other countries. It is quite clear that the minimum wage, flat-rate sums and tax arrangements were part of agreements. The position is far better for organised labour and the improvements are clear to see, relative to other countries. One can always examine pay relative to some other grade but if one looks at where people were three, five, seven or ten years ago, relative to where other countries were, the gains from social partnership are clear. The improvement is quite substantial across all the lower paid grades in this country as against——

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