Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The Minister says that all I am interested in is division and dividing people. It is deeply ironic because, on this issue, it is the Government which, continuing the actions of previous Governments, is precisely dividing people and trying to divide between new entrants and older entrants, with the result that teachers and lecturers starting at the bottom of their scales get paid more than €4,000 less than if they had started in 2010. The INMO, in voting against those proposals, stands for unity and for people to say they stand together and reject the division that the Government is trying to impose on them. It would be excellent if the teachers took the same stand in the ballots that are currently taking place. It is the best way to reject the Government's continued approach of divide and rule. If teachers and nurses were to stand together to reject these agreements and to threaten industrial action, the Government could be brought to heel and forced to cough up to pay for pay equalisation and to end pay discrimination now.

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