Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The nominee is quoted in the papers this morning as supporting a republic of opportunity. How does he square that with his support of the abandonment of the principle of equal pay for equal work and his support for wage discrimination against young public servants? Two-tier pay rates in the public services were presented as being emergency and temporary measures at the height of the austerity crisis. However, they are now being maintained, without any end date whatsoever, in the Government's new public service pay deal offer, and this in what has been described as the fastest growing economy in Europe. The discrimination in pay rates on grounds of race, gender or sexual orientation is wrong. Why then is discrimination on the grounds of age defended? Of course, the Government gets around the anti-discrimination laws by pointing to the fact that the lower pay rates are for new entrants, but everyone knows that the vast bulk of new entrants are young and that this is effectively an act of discrimination against young people. Deputy Varadkar leaves himself open to the charge of double standards here. He defends the idea of low rates of pay for young nurses and teachers but he no doubt does not support lower rates of pay for young taoisigh. I assume that as a new entrant he will not be starting on a lower scale than that enjoyed by Deputy Kenny.

Deputy Coveney recently expressed concern that Deputy Varadkar would lead his party further to the right. Deputy Varadkar himself recently suggested that workers who provide essential services, such as air traffic controllers and tram workers, should have their right to strike curtailed. William Martin Murphy was the champion of denying tram workers the right to strike. Ronald Reagan was the champion of denying air traffic controllers the right to strike. Neither of these men could be described as men of the political centre. They were both men of the right, as indeed Deputy Varadkar is. In opposing equal pay for equal work and in suggesting a curtailment of the democratic and human right to strike, the Deputy is showing support for policies which are not centrist but actually rather extreme. The best defenders of these basic rights and principles are the left which the Deputy so strongly denounces. Along with our allies in the working-class movement, we will continue to defend them and to remain a strong obstacle to the Deputy's pursuit, as Taoiseach, of a right-wing agenda.

See this speech in context