Shane Ross (Independent)

It is the sixth document of its sort, and Fianna Fáil backbenchers in particular will tell one privately that they have far less access to Ministers than those who are now dubbed the social partners. They have a democratic mandate, the social partners do not.

This is not the most powerful of all the documents issued over the six-document period but is a programme that will, to a certain extent, probably be adhered to. This reveals where the power lies because this is not just a pay deal. It is full of aspirations about other issues. It is not as bad as some of the previous agreements, where even foreign policy was agreed between the Government and trade unions, employers, farmers and a few others when it was absolutely none of their business.

I regret that this pay deal has extended the power of these social partners and deprived Members of the Oireachtas of power. The price of the pay deal, which the Government has been so anxious to agree, has been to allow those with no mandate from the electorate to dictate policy in other areas. The effect is to emasculate Members of the Oireachtas, to reduce their influence and show a certain contempt for democracy. Many Members of this House have realised this over a period of time and many privately resent it. However, many are very reluctant to speak up on that issue.

The reason is quite simple. There is no doubt that the most powerful extra-democratic group is undoubtedly the public service unions. The most obvious manifestation of that is the pay deal struck in this document. It is difficult to tell, whatever people say, how much the public service pay deal will cost but it will certainly cost over €1 billion initially. Members of this House are silent on that pay deal, from which we all will benefit greatly. Week after week, they come in here and bleat for special pleading on third level fees and other issues, but they are very happy to go along with an extravagant deal to buy off public service unions, which the country cannot afford.

It is not just because we are beneficiaries of it that we are silent. That is not, to be fair, the real reason. We will do very well out of the increases that are coming and will get some very nice back-pay cheques in the next few weeks. However, the real reason people do not speak up against benchmarking in these Houses is that politicians are terrified of the public service unions. There is no doubt about that. If people listened to the private sector outside this House – I am talking about private sector workers, not just employers – they would find that the resentment at this deal runs very deep.