Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would have liked to have supported Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan's amendment which I think would have dealt with this matter. Bar one or two Ministers, when asked about equal pay for equal work, Deputies on all sides of the Chamber all said they were in favour of it. If we are in favour of it, let us do something about the matter. I do not know if the Minister will accept Deputy Dara Calleary's amendment, but I hope he will. Perhaps he might indicate if that is the case because Deputy Dara Calleary is just looking to have a report commissioned and laid before the Oireachtas on the cost and formulation of a plan to deal with the issue of pay equalisation for new entrants to the public service.

What is ironic is that we had the biggest turnover of new Deputies after the general election in 2011 when I think there were approximately 70 of us here for the first time. If someone had told those 70 or so Deputies that they would be earning less than those who had been in the previous Dáil, it would not have been tolerated. However, in one minute Deputies will come into the Chamber to vote against pay equalisation for teachers and nurses, while at the same time not tolerating such a move for themselves. That is hypocritical of them. If we are to deal with this issue, let us deal with it.

As I said, I hope the Minister will accept the amendment. It is irrelevant whether he does because it will be passed if pushed by Deputy Dara Calleary. I hope it will be pushed by him because the Opposition has already indicated that it will support it. It would send a message from the Government benches if it were to support it. No one is saying the Minister has to bring about pay equalisation in the morning, but he should give some indication to newly qualified teachers and nurses that he is listening to them by telling them that the Government will come back within three months with a report on how much it would cost to pay them the same salary as someone who started pre-2011. Not only would it tell us the cost, but it would set out a plan for how the Government would achieve pay equalisation.

If he does not do so, he will be headed for more trouble down the line.

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