Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Members for their positive commentary on this important issue in the past two hours. I also thank the MLSA members in the Gallery for attending to hear what Teachtaí Dála from the Opposition and the Government are saying about their workplace. We again thank them for their continued work in their jobs.

I will cut to the chase.

If there was an anomaly in Deputies' pay it would not have taken 20 years to fix. It would have taken 20 minutes. Let us be honest that Deputies are overpaid and if this situation had involved them it would have been fixed. There are pay anomalies across the board in the public sector involving teachers, FEMPI cuts, workers in section 56 and 59 organisations and school secretaries. There are different sets of rules.

I want to go back to the historical context for this issue. It is 21 years since the recommendation was made. Since then there have been five general elections, numerous health Ministers, a financial crisis and a pandemic. The pandemic changed everything about public health. Medical scientists were and continue to be at the forefront of public health. They have been waiting in the wings for this issue of pay parity to be fixed. It is ludicrous. It is absolutely shambolic that medical laboratory scientists have been on the picket line in the past two weeks. It is ludicrous. Think about it. They are the very people who have been trying to save people. They are looking for a very small pay increase. The health budget is approximately €22 billion. I am guessing that if tomorrow they were given the 8% they seek it would be an absolute fraction of this. I guess it would cost less than €7 million or €8 million per year. It does not make sense.

With regard to the retention and recruitment of staff there is an existential crisis in the health service. As politicians we see it on a daily basis. Health staff are burned out. They love their jobs and they are absolutely passionate about their work but they tell us and their colleagues that at present the circumstances they are in are extremely difficult. Some are leaving the country because they are burned out. This is not sustainable. It will have an effect not only on the health service but on the workers who keep it going. I appeal to the Minister and other Ministers present to resolve this issue and give these workers the 8% increase they deserve.

See this speech in context