Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

We are debating measures that need to be introduced to assist people with household bills. The clearest and simplest step that can be taken is to increase welfare benefits and pay to rates that match inflation. However, this would go directly against the policy of the Government. The Government effectively wants to cut workers' pay, including the pay of the lowest paid workers. The increase in the minimum wage is below 8% and the rate of inflation. The Government cut the minimum wage last year and is planning to cut it again next year.

The Government's policy is also effectively to cut the pay of 300,000 public sector workers, among them the heroes and heroines of the pandemic, including our nurses and other health service workers. A pay increase of 6.5% was negotiated by the Government. However, given the rate of inflation, that is clearly a pay cut. Inflation is currently in or around 9%, which does not even account for the large hikes in gas and electricity prices that are to happen on 1 October. I appeal to those public sector workers who have a vote on this issue to vote "No" and reject the Government's pay offer, which is in reality a pay cut. I appeal to working people and trade unionists not to vote for a cut in their pay.

This raises the question of what the alternative is. The president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, and general secretary of Fórsa, Mr. Kevin Callinan, stated when the negotiations concluded that it was the best deal that could be got on the basis of negotiation. What this implies is that, if a better deal is to be got, there will have to be a struggle in order to get it. That is correct. Vote "No" and get the unions to ballot for industrial action. Some 300,000 public sector workers have the power to face down the Government. Cost-of-living protests are taking place this month and will continue through the winter. If the unions put their power and influence behind those demonstrations and mobilise as many of their members as possible, those demonstrations could put the Government under considerable pressure.

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