Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I was hoping for a more positive response from the Minister of State. Building Momentum only provides for a fund of 1%, which means that the pay increase will be €1.45 million for the 1,800 medical scientists. That is 7% lower than the 8% committed to back in 2001 in respect of pay parity. Surely, there must be some way that the Department can think outside the box to deal with a legacy pay parity claim dating back 21 years. It is hugely unfair to force these workers to remain under the restrictions of the Building Momentum agreement. They have gone out of their way. Under the Croke Park Agreement, they saved the State €10 million. They have been working flat out. They are working well beyond their contracted 38-hour week and are filling vacancies at weekends. On the issue of the retention of medical scientists in labs, they are losing workers every day and are being forced to fill gaps. For patient safety in the long run, and as part of public health policy, the Government should be thinking outside the box. The only Department that does not seem to have attended these talks is the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The latter controls the purse strings of the Department of Health. If the Government is serious, it should think outside the box and immediately implement the 8% pay parity. The Minister of State that he is disappointed that the MLSA has initiated strike action. If he waiting 20 years for a pay increase that had been signed off, would he not think that he had the right to take strike action to make his point?

See this speech in context