Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Every trade union leader is entitled to his opinion. The issues for which the trade union leaders have been fighting in these talks are those of the basic minimum wage and issues around what is the low paid category of workers — even if their pay is not very low in terms of what we used to call low pay — and that they should get the better share of the deal. That is the right thing for the trade union leadership to fight for and they have been fighting vigorously for those.

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