Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Those are precisely the sort of sentiments that I expressed over the weekend. I agree that it is a difficult situation for any trade union representative where what is in prospect is a reduction in the overall pay bill rather than an increase being negotiated.

However, I emphasise, and remind the Deputy, that I am engaging with the public sector unions to see what policy options they claim could be available here to assist in ensuring that we make the necessary savings of the order of €1.3 billion that must come from the public sector pay bill as we seek to bring forward reductions of the order of €4 billion in total public service provision. It is an inescapable fact that public sector pay must be part of that contribution. There is no way around that.

We have engaged, and are engaging, with the public sector unions to see if there is a means of doing this that would be acceptable to all. I am interested in obtaining the reductions in the pay bill by whatever means is available to us. I would like to do that by agreement. I have made that clear from the outset, but I also have made clear that the Government has a duty to discharge here. We must discharge that duty, hopefully, with agreement. It will not be for the want of trying.

There is no question, in terms of the pejorative terms being used by the Deputy, of sleep-walking or anything else. Everyone recognises the seriousness of the situation. Everyone sees how difficult the choices are and how limited the options may be, but we are approaching this matter in good faith.

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