Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister’s response. It is a pity that it went to the wire, however. The Fórsa union, representing the secretaries, made it clear today that if the Department was not willing to go to the WRC, its members would take industrial action next week. On the last point of calling off industrial action for the talks to take place, I was informed by the secretaries that they knew they could not concede on that because of their experience of the past 40 years trying to get this issue into the ether of politics.

I welcome this move and I hope the secretaries achieve the direct employment for which they are looking. I hope they also get all the holiday pay and pension rights that go with it. I look forward to these negotiations.

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