Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

She came to her conclusion before the document was even published. Within an hour of the conclusion of the talks she was on the national airwaves denouncing the agreement and those who had negotiated it, in a shocking and shabby abuse of people who had worked hard to represent their members. She did not even have the courtesy to read the document before she came to her venomous conclusion.

In regard to the general argument that she has made from the beginning, to the effect that we could make the savings by dealing with the 6,000 people who earn more than €100,000 out of the 290,000 people working in the public service, it is clear that if we had done so we would have achieved less than 20% of the savings we require while destroying our health services and the Judiciary. It is nonsense, but the problem is that Deputy McDonald and her party know it is nonsense. One need look no further than her party in Northern Ireland to see the policies it is implementing. She thinks she can perpetuate this falsehood to the future advantage of her party. This is a complex deal which was negotiated by professional and competent negotiators representing 390,000 workers. Some walked out of the process but the vast majority stayed in.

It is now a matter for workers in the public service to make their judgment. I ask Deputies not to use this House as a bully pit in terms of charging one way or the other on this issue. The facts are laid out and the agreement has been negotiated openly over many weeks by professional, competent negotiators. They will give advice to their members and each public sector worker will make his or her decision in that light.

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