Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What I would say back to the Minister is that he is guilty of a very deliberate sleight of hand because he is deliberately insisting on looking at Lansdowne Road agreement and setting aside the Haddington Road agreement. We have to view the two of them to understand what the Minister's unwinding of the FEMPI legislation looks like and what the consequences of it are. He has provided a partial level of relief for those earning less than €65,000. I am not surprised that workers in that category and their trade unions would recommend acceptance of some relief.

That is entirely logical and if I were in their shoes, it is what I would do. To understand the dynamics of what is going on, one must consider both the Lansdowne Road and Haddington Road agreements. At the top of the tree, there is no pay restoration for those on more than €110,000, and that is good, but for those between €65,000 and €110,000, there would be a full restoration of pay. That is a very different approach from those earning less than €65,000. Despite the Minister's rhetoric, the focus has not really been all about the lower earners. I acknowledge that he has given a bit but he has been far more generous to people earning more money.

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