Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely see it. We welcome every job, but what good is a job to a worker who cannot afford to put a roof over his or her head or pay his or her car insurance? I refer to people who are struggling every day and getting into more and more debt. The Taoiseach has not addressed the fundamental issue of inequality that runs through my argument that Government decisions are allowing others to benefit from the sacrifices of all workers, including nurses, teachers and private sector workers, and all recipients of social welfare. Every measure taken by the Government in the budget allowed giant corporations, vulture funds, real estate investment trusts, developers and landlords, rather than ordinary working people, to benefit from the fiscal space.

The Taoiseach has acknowledged the sacrifices made by working people, but his platitudes will make no difference to nurses in January when they see gardaí getting an additional €3,000 and politicians getting an extra €5,000. Why should they stay back in the shadows, continue to work extra hours for nothing and show restraint in their pay demands? The same thing goes for the private sector workers. The Government does not have a solution for the inequality at the heart of the system. The fiscal space is there, but the problem we have is that the Government has not bothered to broaden it. People are not stupid. They see it. That is why there is a pay revolt, which we welcome, in this country.

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