Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 3, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “Report on remuneration of Oireachtas political staff

2. The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining—

(a) progress in relation to resolving the pay claim submitted on behalf of secretarial assistants working in the Oireachtas,

(b) progress in relation to the recognition of the work of secretarial assistants as being beyond both the title and description of the role,

(c) the potential for the transfer of functions in respect of pay of political staff from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to the Commission, and

(d) engagement the Minister has had with union representatives of political staff in respect of their pay claim.”.

The way that this country's national Parliament treats its staff is an embarrassment and it is shameful we even have to discuss this. It is unacceptable we have put our staff in a position where they are constantly having to fight for a fair wage and fair recognition, as if they do not already have enough to do in supporting us Members. Each Member of the Oireachtas would be lost without the staff who support him or her and we would all do well to remember this as we continue to debate the Bill.

Despite the many pay rises Government Deputies have given themselves, our secretarial staff in the Oireachtas still get paid below the living wage. Secretarial assistants, SAs, on the first point of the scale earn €24,423 per annum, which is a mere €11.75 per hour while the living wage is €12.90. How can we expect staff to work in Leinster House and live in Dublin on such an incredibly low wage? It is not possible. We are forcing our staff to take up additional jobs despite the fact they already work full time in a workplace that is an environment of long hours and overtime. We are forcing staff to live with their families due to the fact they are unable to afford the astronomical Dublin rents on such a low income. This rules out all potential staff who do not have the option of living at home. It also rules out those who are from outside of Dublin.

How can we be a representative Parliament when our staff are not representative of different backgrounds and areas? It is incredibly important we allow staff of all backgrounds the opportunity to work here for Irish politics to be fair, equal and representative of all citizens of the country. It is also important to give a voice to those in rural areas, such as my county of Donegal, to take the focus away from Dublin-centric policies.

A survey carried out by the Oireachtas HR unit found that Seanad secretarial assistants who are currently on this low income are performing similar work to Dáil parliamentary assistants, PAs. The survey identified work such as research, speech writing, drafting newsletters, and preparing materials on legislation and for committees as work which Seanad SAs regularly do for Senators as well as work that Dáil PAs undertake. The work of Senators is parliamentary and not constituency-based, and their staff should reflect this.

I call on the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to recognise Seanad SAs for what they are, which is parliamentary assistants. I also call on the Minister to scrap the title of secretarial assistant and rename the role to adequately reflect the work. We must scrap the secretarial assistant's pay scale and pay our SAs properly.

In 2018, SIPTU lodged a pay claim on behalf of SAs. This year, SAs were offered a pay increase of 1% in October, 1% in February and then 1% in October 2022. This offer is nothing short of insulting. It would bring the salary to €25,162 per year, or €12.09 per hour, which is still below the living wage. It does not pay them adequately nor does it address or recognise how the role has changed drastically since its inception nor the fact that Dáil and Seanad SAs have different roles.

Neither does the pay recognise the fact that Oireachtas staff are considered to be on temporary contracts and therefore struggle to apply for loans and mortgages. The sad truth is, financially and security-wise, a job in the Oireachtas has little to offer. The staff that are here and in these roles are doing so because they are passionate about the work, yet we price them out of their roles because financially they are unable to stay, meaning we lose out on a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Oireachtas staff are essential to the democratic process in this country. Now is the time for every single Member of the Oireachtas, as employers, to speak up on behalf of their staff. The staff go above and beyond to support us, and it is now our time to support them. I commend the staff and the union representatives who have been fighting for a fair wage and for fair recognition for years. I am sorry they have been forced to do this. It is not fair, and I will stand with them on this until they get the full recognition they deserve.

The amendment seeks that the Minister would provide a report to both Houses of the Oireachtas six months after the passing of the Act. This comes up every time a Bill is passed. This is vitally important, and a report should be provided on it and on all legislation that comes through the House. Various Ministers argue there is no need for a report. It might be said the legislation is minimal and does not merit a report, but in this case a report is warranted on the staff we have and what is being done to deal with the problems so that we can progress and resolve the pay claim of secretarial assistants and look at how it can be done. The Minister can report on the meetings he has had with unions and their staff representatives. That is vitally important. It is the least those in the House should expect as well.

As I understand it, the Bill has been put forward by the Houses of the Oireachtas, which is representative of us as the employer. The Bill is being put forward on our behalf. The least that should be done is for the Houses to report back on our behalf as well. The Minister is required to be part of the process because the mechanism must go through some Department in order for the engagement to take place. A report should be made to Members of the House so that we can be kept fully up to speed on what is being put forward.

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