Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The secretaries did not leave the talks because of what the Minister has outlined. They joined the talks because they took the Minister at his word and believed him when he said that we must develop a comprehensive mechanism that would provide a pathway to a resolution. The Minister said that to me in this House, but that is not what transpired at the WRC this week. It is far from it, and deeply disappointing. We do not want the secretaries to go on strike. Strike action should always be a last resort, never to be supported. It can be avoided if the Minister and the Department engage in serious discussions with the secretaries in light of what the Minister said previously. I am relying on what the Minister solemnly told the Dáil. I do not want this to be turned into me looking for more resources for secretaries, as it inevitably will be by the geniuses in the Fine Gael press office. I am looking for the secretaries to be treated in the manner in which the Minister promised they would be treated. Can he confirm that he met the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform today on this issue? There certainly was talk of that happening. If he did, could he give us details of that meeting?

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