Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, the Labour Court recommendation provides that the parties to the issue must make every effort to achieve clarity as regards potential arrangements to address the claim within the earliest opportunity and in any event during the autumn.

The Government intends to deal with this issue in consultation with the representatives of the workers. We recognise the heroic efforts of our front-line healthcare staff, who deserve great praise and to be recognised. I am making the point that there is a wide range of other workers in the public service who also went beyond the call of duty and who we need to treat fairly. We need to do this in a balanced and inclusive way and we also need to engage with the private sector because there are many people across the private sector who also kept the show on the road and looked after all of us when that was needed. We need to take all of that into account. There are always financial constraints but the Government will bring forward a proposal to provide for the special recognition that is richly deserved.

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