Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State stated, "Proceeding with the payment is both in recognition of the contribution that public servants have made in dealing with the public health emergency". I do not necessarily agree. It is simply a case of honouring an agreement that the Government is duty bound to honour with public and civil servants throughout the country. I nonetheless welcome the commitment to the principle of collective agreements in managing the public service in future and engaging with the public sector trade unions on that basis for pay reform and other matters.

If the pandemic tells us anything, it is that only the State has the power and authority to work collectively when push comes to shove to keep us all safe and well. I hope that rather than simply applauding them, lighting candles for them or getting pictures taken for social media, as Ministers lined up to do in recent months, to thank and express our gratitude to healthcare assistants, radiographers, laboratory technicians, doctors, nurses and teachers we will ensure that the approach we take properly values the contribution that public servants make to our society.

It should be remembered that not all public servants are well paid. Many earn below what might be considered the hourly rate of the living wage. If we are to talk about a living wage, the Government needs to lead by example and ensure that the few thousand public servants who do not garner an income that would qualify as a living wage are addressed in the context of public sector pay negotiations that may occur in the next few months.

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