Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I listened to Deputy Alan Kelly’s contribution.

I want to speak about the public wage element and the consequences for civil and public service unions, their members and people working in services. I listened with great interest and care to what the Deputy had to say and was struck by his omission of any reference to the Lansdowne Road agreement. If it was at the start of his contribution, I missed it. I was struck, however, by his description of the achievements of the Labour Party in the last Government. They were achievements. One achievement that was absent in the Deputy's list and which is absent from the Labour Party motion is the Lansdowne Road agreement, in the delivery of which the former Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, played the lead role. That cuts to the core of why the Government has reservations about the motion and cannot support it in its entirety. There are many elements with which I agree entirely, but I cannot support the motion fully because of the consequences for the Lansdowne Road agreement. We have in place a three-year agreement with many unions, although I acknowledge not all of them. The TUI recently voted to be inside that framework. The reason I regretfully find myself unable to support the motion in its entirety is the consequences of the passage of the motion for the agreement, the people who voted for it and are party to it, and the Exchequer.

Let me reiterate the objectives the Labour Party is describing in the motion. I am sure it was an accident, but Deputy Alan Kelly was selective in the quotations he ascribed to the Taoiseach. Of course, he made reference to the economy, but he also made reference to the fact that this was a country in which one could grow old gracefully. He stated it was the best country in which to bring up one’s family. An essential element of this is ensuring workers are treated with the respect they deserve. I acknowledge the contribution the trade union movement has made in this regard. It and its leaders, at a time of great difficulty for the country and a time of near collapse, played their role in leading the country and economy forward. We now need to ensure this leadership results in an opportunity for renewal for workers, their families and communities. I look forward to working with union leaders and Members of the House to deliver the objectives of the motion, if not the detail.

I would like to end on a point of detail concerning figures for those who work in the civil and public services. They may be of interest to some who have pointed to issues concerning how we employ and pay people. I refer to the number of workers working in the civil and public services whom we judge to be earning less than the living wage. The information we have in this regard is that if a living wage is €11.50 per hour which equates to an annual salary of approximately €20,000 based on a 37-hour working week, some 94% of those who work in public services are on an annual salary in excess of that figure. Despite what many say and have claimed, successive Governments have a good track record in ensuring those who work in the civil and public services are well rewarded. As a result of the of the awful shock and trauma the country went through, that has changed, but we now have in place an agreement, the Lansdowne Road agreement, and an arrangement with the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court to deal with it and ensure it is implemented in its entirety.

I wish to talk about what public pay policy will be. It builds on much of what has been achieved. Many of the principles informing future policy are captured in the current Lansdowne Road agreement and have two separate elements. The first requires us to acknowledge that, where there is a demonstrated need, front-line staff numbers will be increased in a targeted and sustainable manner. One should consider the track record of the last Government, of which I was privileged to be a member, and the new Government which is seeking to build on the progress made. We see that, in many cases, the number of people working in the civil and public services is returning to the kind of number in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Where there is still a gap, as in An Garda Síochána, as we acknowledge, we have a plan in place to address it. The overall framework through the Lansdowne Road agreement puts in place a three-year agreement, cumulatively worth €844 million, that offers the Government our only opportunity to reconcile the understandable wage needs of those who work in public services and the need of citizens in general to receive public services on which they depend.

With regard to what will happen in the future, as the House is aware, there is a commitment in the programme for Government to establish a pay commission. I intend to consult stakeholders associated with the Lansdowne Road agreement in the coming weeks on the establishment of that body. This may provide a vehicle to address some of the matters being raised.

I acknowledge and support much of the content of the motion. I agree with the objectives, but I must point to the basic incompatibility between some elements of the motion and the very agreement the Labour Party played a leading role in creating and in which I will play a role in its implementation.

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