Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

This proposition on two hours' additional time sitting this evening is to accommodate the Second Stage debate of the so-called Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009. The Government wants to rush through this legislation, with a guillotine on all Stages tomorrow. That is the situation we face.

The purpose of the Bill is to implement the budget cuts in pay to public service workers, as announced here last week. This is an outrageous proposition that we vehemently oppose. It is an attack on the lowest to middle-income workers within the public service who are seen daily running all of the important services, not only those on which we depend in health, education and public transport, but even this institution itself - the people who do a great deal of the work here in the Houses of the Oireachtas are all affected.

Make no mistake, the announcement of these cuts was followed quickly by employers' demands for a cut in the minimum wage. For what is signalled as applying to public service workers, private sector workers can be the next target. Those, in IBEC or in any of the other employer organisations, are only feasting on the opportunity presented. We have no assurances from the Government that the minimum wage will not be cut, as these employer voices so demand.

This legislation is vexatious. It is a travesty. Already, this sector has, with the introduction of the public service pension levy, borne the brunt of the single largest contribution to addressing the difficulties we are currently facing as an economy.

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