Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is an opportune moment to comment on the overall situation regarding the Lansdowne Road agreement, especially in the context of the events of recent days. The Minister agreed to the establishment of the public service pay commission in the confidence-and-supply agreement signed last May. During the summer, however, a number of issues relating to the Garda and the teaching profession were placed on the long finger and this has resulted in a major breach of trust between a large number of the public service unions and the Government. Many of those issues were non-pay related and had no impact on the matters we debate this evening. For example, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality guaranteed access to the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court for the Garda in early summer but did not proceed with this. That forced the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors to reverse its decision to support the Lansdowne Road agreement. The Government has failed to come to the table with proposals on junior certificate reform that the ASTI could implement and accept. Now the Government has made an issue of the Croke Park hours, has forced ASTI into justifying its position on these and has forced its members out onto the streets.

Meanwhile, the agreement itself has shown delivery with regard to allowances and a pathway for the lower paid teachers. The Government, however, does not wish to reflect the spirit of the agreement in committing itself to equality of pay. All of that has combined to create the perfect storm which we are facing this evening and which has utterly undermined the Lansdowne Road agreement. The Minister and his colleagues must take responsibility for where matters stand, particularly in the context of how the public service and public service pay issues have been mishandled since last May. What we now need to see is a pathway to how the Government is going to manage this. It cannot be the make-it-up as you go along approach that has been presented to us since last Friday morning. We need an actual pathway with a number of initiatives that will rebuild the trust that has been broken. That rebuilding must be done in a cohesive and coherent fashion. In turn, this would allow the unions to engage with the Government and represent their members' interests in a cohesive manner that would take account of the challenges the State is facing - such as those relating to Brexit - and what it may face tomorrow in the aftermath of the US election results this evening. The Government rapidly needs to restore confidence in its ability to manage the situation or that confidence will disappear.

When the issue of politicians pay was dealt with by politicians - and the Leas Ceann Comhairle was in the House at that time - it did not serve politicians or public life well. It is better dealt with in the absence of politician's involvement. It is better dealt with by people who are not part of the bubble that is Leinster House, namely, those who look on coldly and observe. In the past, these individuals recommended cuts. If they recommend such cuts again, we will accept them. As long as those to whom I refer are independent and not subject to political interference, we will always support their decisions.

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