Aideen Hayden (Labour)

I propose to share time with Senator Moloney. I welcome the Minister of State. Senator Thomas Byrne never disappoints. I remind him that 16 years of Fianna Fáil in government preceded today's situation. With regard to Senator Mary Ann O'Brien's contribution, I remind her that the date set, 29 February, was set by the previous Administration. I also noted the comments of Senator Byrne with regard to the Labour Party. Is it some power crazed thing in Fianna Fáil that it is not only content with 16 years in government but also tied the hands of the next Government? I am proud that the Labour Party supports the Croke Park agreement.

I am disturbed at much of what I read and hear in the media. It is not being said that we have an admirable public service in this country and an admirable public service ethos. I am not reading about all of the occasions when public servants are at the front of the people facing the dole, put in extra hours and deal with distressed and upset people. Day in and day out, they do a public service for this country but unfortunately I have a list of media content in which that is not being emphasised.

The Minister of State referred to the huge amount of us and them, division between those people with safe, secure, highly paid jobs on the one hand and everyone else living in deep uncertainty. That is not true and it is a point to which I will return. I resent the media implication that there is a major division between the Labour Party and the Fine Gael Party on the Croke Park agreement because it is not true.

On under-performance in the public service, I want to refer to the PMDS system. There was a review on its effectiveness in 2010. It has been agreed and acknowledged that it is a system that needs to work better to strengthen performance management. There is also a robust system in place to examine effectiveness and efficiencies within the public service. It is not true to say that people sit in the public service with jobs for life and their effectiveness is never subject to review.

We have the agreement because it makes sense. We are not Greece or Ireland in the 1980s. I lived through Ireland in the 1980s. I was doing my leaving certificate at the time and had to study by candlelight. Is that what people in this country want? We have a system whereby we have an agreement with our public servants. Sacrifices have been made on both sides, including by public servants. As the Minister of State said, very significant cuts have been suffered by our public servants.

The issue of increments is very contentious. A number of people in the media have painted this to be the big bogey of the Croke Park agreement. I do not know whether a lot of people know that those who would be most impacted by the failure to pay increments are the lowest paid public servants in the country, not the highly paid public servants people are so keen to highlight in the media. Increments affect those who earn between €23,000 and €37,000 over a period of 17 years. New entrants at that grade have had their salaries reduced to €20,000 up to €33,000. I do not know how many staff in Lily O'Briens are earning that kind of money.

A lot of women are the most poorly paid in the Irish Civil Service and public service. In terms of increments, there will be a review of the agreement in April 2012. The lower paid grades of the public service have suffered most from the agreement. I ask that we return to the agreement and see how we can rebalance its effects on lower paid public servants.