Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Lansdowne Road agreement is evidence of how it cannot be used to tackle issues of concern.

This is why ASTI is right and is to be saluted for the actions it is taking. It is an act of intergenerational solidarity among teachers, almost 80% of whom voted for strike action. The majority of them are not affected by this but they understand that people must stand together if they are to defeat the Government and achieve equal pay for equal work. Among the unions that have signed up to the Lansdowne Road agreement, there is not pay equality. There is still a gap of several thousand euro per year. I have the rates here. Over the course of a career, the gap would result in a pay disparity of over €100,000. Does the Minister admit that there is pay discrimination against new entrants which is not based on any justifiable measure and which relates merely to the fact that they are new entrants? How can the Minister stand over such a situation? It is one of the most shameful acts of the Government. It was also a shameful act on the part of the unions that signed up to it.

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