Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh míle maith agat as ucht an deis chun labhairt ar an topaic seo anocht. This issue is of great concern to tens of thousands of workers across the State. These workers are still being treated unfairly, despite the fact that the Government states over and over again that the economy is in recovery. Public sector workers are certainly not feeling that recovery.

I shall begin by outlining Sinn Féin's position on FEMPI. We do not wish to see FEMPI scrapped overnight. We recognise that this would be completely unfair and would eradicate any possibility of investing in critical public services, such as health, housing and education. More fundamentally, Sinn Féin recognises that the scrapping of FEMPI measures overnight would not work. We want a fair and orderly unwinding of FEMPI. People who earn €185,000 would see a gain of €53,000, while those on incomes of €25,000 would receive just €66. What we do wish to see, however, is the immediate repeal of the powers that the Ministers gave themselves in respect of public sector pay. Sinn Féin has consistently called for the fair and orderly unwinding of the FEMPI legislation and as my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, outlined, the party has met the Minister on the issue and we have outlined our views on the draft public sector pay agreement.

I welcome that the agreement works towards a timely and structured unwinding of FEMPI, as we have called for. There are, however, a number of issues with the proposed pay agreement and with the Government's general approach to public sector pay. Previous agreements have disproportionately benefited those on higher incomes in the public sector. This is no surprise because elitism appears to be part of the Government's mantra. The Lansdowne Road Agreement completely favours those earning over €65,000, giving them, as Deputy Cullinane outlined, full pay restoration. For those earning less than €65,000, there has been no restoration beyond a flat €1,000 increase. This approach was - and remains - completely unfair. It has led to a lot of mistrust between public sector workers and the Government. Sinn Féin believes that those on middle and low incomes should be prioritised in any pay negotiations. I share the concerns of my colleagues that the new agreement will again favour higher earners. I await the details of the final agreement, which I hope will be made available without delay.

The other key issue that I believe the Government has missed in the negotiations for the new pay agreement is the aspect of equal pay for equal work. I recognise that this matter is outside of the scope of FEMPI, yet it is a hugely important issue within the public sector. As we know, the three teachers' unions have signalled their lack of support for the draft agreement as it currently stands because it does not deal with this matter in a meaningful way. Teachers represent over one third of the public sector workforce and I simply cannot fathom why the Government did not address this issue. It is the single biggest issue that has caused so much unrest and disruption in the education sector in the past year. I truly believe the Minister has missed an opportunity to put this issue to bed. At this stage, I am not even sure it is as much a matter of money as it is one of respect. A firm commitment to the principle of equal pay for equal work, and a clear timescale for the delivery of it, would have been sufficient to take much of the heat out of this contentious issue. This simple acknowledgment of the legitimate grievance of newly-qualified teachers would have saved the Government, teachers and most importantly our children a lot of hassle and disruption. Instead, parents, students and teachers are facing into another academic year with the threat of industrial action hanging over them. The matter of equal pay for equal work cannot be ignored and must be addressed in a constructive and meaningful way.

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