Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Does the Taoiseach accept that having individual talks with individual unions is an invitation for further unions to be more confrontational and would be very destabilising for the industrial relations backdrop, which is so essential given that we have had industrial peace in the public services for the past five years? I have not tabled any suggestion for the old social dialogue that existed in former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern's time but there is a requirement that all public servants who have contributed so hugely to the recovery of our State are treated in like fashion and that it is not simply some who have the sharpest elbows who get the first go at it.

Everybody has contributed to the recovery and everybody must be treated in like fashion, with a real and clear path to full income recovery, because they have contributed so much. I have two brief questions. First, will the Taoiseach engage across the public services rather than with individual unions to have a roadmap to income recovery? Second, will he consider, on the broader industrial front, some mechanism such as the employer-labour conference so that the complicated disputes now presenting themselves can be solved harmoniously without having to resort to strikes?

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