Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

This is a disgraceful attempt to short circuit and pre-empt any possible negotiation with public sector workers over their pay and conditions and over the Croke Park deal. It is an act of bullying of workers by the Government. It is particularly outrageous that a Labour Party Minister would seek to bully trade union members, large numbers of whom put him and his colleagues into the House and Government, and show such contempt for what ordinary public sector workers have said with their vote. He is well aware that the representatives of workers have proposals that differ markedly from his way of dealing with the deficit problem and he should be open to listen to those proposals and alternative views rather than try to shove this down their throat and pre-empt any discussions with them. Shame on a Labour Party Minister for doing this. He should not try to ram this through in advance of those negotiations.

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