Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The discussions currently with public sector workers are under the aegis of the Croke Park Agreement and unless I am mistaken, workers and their representatives were voluntary participants in the Croke Park Agreement discussions and the structure and nature of that agreement. The State is an important and a critical employer in this country and it should be involved in negotiations with workers and their representatives.

The Deputy must recognise that those working on building sites for many years will probably not wish to do so when they are in their late 50s or early 60s. However, many members of my family were builders and builders labourers. My two uncles worked well into their 70s and nobody could stop them, even though we wanted to do so. I do not believe we should be overly prescriptive on how working class people live their lives.

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