Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can guarantee that the Government will engage with unions on pay and terms and conditions and on co-operation with the reforms that are necessary to bring about a better health service. It is because of engagement that we have a three-year pay deal with all public servants to increase their pay every year. The sum of €400 million has been set aside for next year alone for increases in pay for our public servants. Two pay increases will be made next year. It is because of engagement that we have negotiated with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions a pathway by which we can equalise the pay scales of those public servants recruited after 2012. As the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, often states - and he is right - there is only a set amount of money. We have set aside approximately €400 million for pay increases for public servants next year. There is a point at which if we go beyond that, we either have to take the money out of public services, new schools, new hospitals and away from new medicines or borrow it and then pay later. This is not the responsible approach. The Sinn Féin approach will always be to back any demand of any interest group for anything they seek-----

See this speech in context