Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom tacú leis an méid a dúirt an Seanadóir Mullins maidir le hOspís na Gaillimhe agus an tacaíocht atá ag teastáil ansin. We need to have a debate as soon as possible on what transpired over the weekend, last night and the night before on the Croke Park agreement. These negotiations were a golden opportunity to finally tackle the inequity in the public service where people at the top end of the scale are on huge wages in comparison with their counterparts across Europe. This deal has been cobbled together and is again hitting those on lower and middle incomes. It is no surprise that the CPSU, the INMO, the IMO and UNITE walked out of the talks when front-line workers are being disproportionately targeted. Nurses, gardaí and firefighters, as has been said, are essential.

It is imperative that we have a debate on this issue as soon as possible and find a more reasoned way of approaching public sector pay which will treat these workers fairly.