Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Can Members imagine getting a pay rise of €81,000? That is two or three wages for most working families. It is the amount the new Secretary General of the Department of Health can look forward to. That is the shocking backdrop to any debate on pay for student nurses and midwives. Three Ministers went off by themselves, colluded, if you like, ignored existing pay structures and agreed State mechanisms and then decided among themselves that someone earning well over €200,000 was not being paid enough and agreed collectively to give him an increase of €81,000. At the same time, the Government of these three wise men says student nurses are worth only €100 per week. The Secretary General's pay rise alone would cover a student nurse for almost 16 years if the Government got its way.

The lack of respect and appreciation this Government has and the Fine Gael-led one before it had for our healthcare workers is staggering. The Government drove nurses out onto the picket line in 2019 and its attitude has not changed one iota since. We have a broken system that depends on students stepping into danger to fill the gaps caused by colleagues falling ill to Covid or having to self-isolate. We have a Government that demonstrates a complete lack of compassion, understanding and gratitude. Student nurses and midwives should not be seen by the State as cheap or free labour but they are and always have been. We know it has always been this way but, again, that is no reason to allow an unfair and exploitative system to continue. If this Government thinks handing a gift of €81,000 to a Secretary General who is already on more than €200,000 is okay and then expects student nurses to survive on €100 a week, then it has a problem and clearly does not live on the same planet as the rest of us.

In 2019 nurses kicked off and went on strike. The then Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, said, "We are happy to find that money in the Budget because we want to pay our public servants better, but there is a limit to what we can afford." Clearly, he was referring to those on the top of the pile and not to those on the front line who look after our sick and our vulnerable. Shame on him.

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