Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want a commitment from the Minister that he will equalise the pay of new recruits not only for teachers but also for nurses, gardaí and prison officers. It is not fair that some people earning €30,000 will suffer cuts of 8% while others earning €60,000 will not suffer cuts. Some people on similar pay rates will face different levels of reduction based on the amount of premium or weekend pay they earn.

I also ask the Minister to reconsider the issue of redundancies. The commitment to have no compulsory redundancies is heavily qualified and the document indicates that voluntary departure will be appropriate in some circumstances. I ask him to remove that clause and answer the question on the targeted redundancy package he has announced on several occasions. Will this provide additional savings to the Croke Park extension, or is it part of the agreement?

Does he not accept that when he is seeking a cut of 2% in the public sector payroll bill it is unfair to ask some low-paid workers to take cuts of 8%? That is the definition of unfairness.

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