Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge and accept the Taoiseach's expression of sympathy on the shocking and untimely passing of Manus Kelly who would have been an outstanding public representative for us in the Letterkenny electoral area. Our thoughts are with his wife, Bernie, family and friends.

I put it to the Taoiseach that SIPTU is reluctant to go to the Labour Court because it has the sense that the Government has been dragging its feet and that it has not been serious about implementation of the job evaluation scheme recommendations, a process that has been dragging on since 2015.

The background is that the Government agreed the process that far back. It is, therefore, striking that the Taoiseach acknowledged today that it has not been provided for in the budgetary figures. He said, however, that the Government has accepted the outcome and that he accepts that the increases will have to be paid. I take it that is his position, because last week the Opposition was berated for suggesting the very same thing and for even raising the issue.

The Taoiseach said that we are down now to the implementation phase of the recommendations but that there are has been a breakdown in trust. The union side clearly does not trust the Government on this issue, and I would appreciate his comments on that fact, hence the reluctance, it seems to me, on the union side to go to the Labour Court. Every effort must be made on all sides to avoid a strike tomorrow. Last week, thankfully, the strike was averted, but we face three more days next week and significant disruption for patients, who must take centre stage in our considerations.

Many of these workers start out on €24,000 per year, they have been promised this for five or six years and it has not materialised yet. It was part of the public service stability agreement they signed up to and have honoured.

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