Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. It is an issue which has been prolonged to the frustration of many public workers. As we know, public sector workers have suffered an average of a 15% cut in pay. On top of this, new entrants from 1 January 2011 start on a payscale that is on average 10% lower than the rest of the workforce. We welcome some of the measures in this Bill which provide for the restoration of the basic salary of public servants reduced under FEMPI legislation. We also welcome the measures that provide for the restoration of pensions payable to public servants through the elimination or reduction of the pension related deduction.

Last year Sinn Féin launched a framework document on the extension of the Lansdowne Road agreement and the fair and orderly unwinding of FEMPI. We are in favour of the orderly unwinding of FEMPl. We appreciate that if this legislation was scrapped, those on higher incomes would benefit disproportionately. We want to see reform so that those on low or middle pay in the public sector can be prioritised in pay agreements.

We recognise that the pay and conditions of public sector workers are primarily a matter for trade unions and their memberships. On the basis of the broad support among union membership for the new pay agreement, Sinn Féin will support this legislation. However, we have a number of concerns and will be seeking to amend the Bill on Committee Stage.

One of the most fundamental issues for post-2011 recruits in the public sector is the issue of pay equality. The teachers' unions have rejected the new pay agreement mainly on that basis. Increases in the cost of living and the legitimate concerns of front-line public sector staff doing the same work for less money mean it is not feasible for the issue to be left until after 2020. Teachers, gardaí and nurses have all taken industrial action on the issue and it must be resolved. Sinn Féin is committed to equal pay for equal work and believes the Government must commit to addressing the issue to avoid further unrest in the public sector.

We also share some concerns highlighted by trade unions relating to the punishment clause in sections 21 and 33 and will work to have those addressed. It beggars belief that the Government intends to impose sanctions on public sector workers who have not signed up to the new pay agreement. It shows the arrogance at the heart of this Government, an arrogance that all Members have witnessed in recent days in particular. It also shows that the Minister has learned nothing from the industrial unrest last year. As a strategy, it has failed. Instead of one teaching union being outside the pay agreement structure, there are now three, which sends a message that the issue needs to be resolved. The Government needs to learn that it cannot bully public sector workers into submission and that all workers, not only those in the public sector, have legitimate rights, including the right to engage in industrial action. Sinn Féin will fight hard to remove those clauses on Committee Stage and stand up for the thousands of public sector workers across the State who have not received fair play under this Government. We will not support any legislation that allows workers to be sanctioned through increment freezes simply for standing up for their basic rights. I call on the Government and Fianna Fáil to make a clear commitment that those who have not signed up to the new pay agreement will not be punished in that manner and that the clause will be removed from the legislation on Committee Stage.

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