Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

Yes. It would decimate their income and is a critical part of their pay, despite the Government's propaganda about non-core pay not being touched.

As a result of this rejection of the Croke Park II proposals by SIPTU and other public sector workers, will the Economic Management Council and the Government now recognise that austerity has run its course and is a disaster for workers and society? People are weary of the cuts and the thousands on the streets demonstrating against the property tax on Saturday was further evidence of that. Will the Taoiseach now convene an emergency meeting of the Economic Management Council to overturn this disastrous policy which even the former boss of the IMF in Ireland has disowned as a disaster? He should end this disastrous policy. The Taoiseach has just said he wants to develop the indigenous economy.

Does he not see the contradiction whereby the Government will never develop the indigenous economy while it implements savage cuts to workers' living standards? In this instance, it wishes to take €1 billion from the pockets of low and middle income public sector workers.

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