Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will try to go through the various points made. Deputy Fleming spoke about this not being about a collective agreement and this point was made by a number of other people. Unlike Deputy Fleming's party I set out to fully inform the trade union movement and representatives of workers in the public sector of the exact financial parameters in which the State was operating to see whether they would co-operate in an agreement which would give us the savings we required. We spent five months doing this, unlike Deputy Fleming's party which unilaterally decided to cut wages twice without let or hindrance or discussion with anybody. This side of the House respects collective bargaining. We respect the principles of trade unionism. I ask Deputy Collins and others to respect trade unions and respect the people who spent five months at the table negotiating and the rights of these unions to make recommendations. Some socialists in the House are so pure that anybody who does not agree with them is to be disregarded.

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