Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Over the last number of years Ireland has enjoyed some level of relative industrial peace. At this stage, however, we have reached a grave situation. We are facing strike action by second-level teachers and by An Garda Síochána. Today's advertisement in the national newspapers seeking members of the public to go in to schools to perform supervision and substitution work is, at best misguided and at worst it completely misunderstands the nature of schools and how they operate. Yesterday the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Leo Varadkar, thought it was a good idea to say that the public would never view members of An Garda Síochána the same way again if they were to go on strike. That is an outrageous statement. It is clear that this Government, and in particular Fine Gael, has no comprehension as to how industrial relations work or how best to deal with trade unions or the public sector in general.

I suggest to the Leader that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, should be invited to the House to discuss his announcements in the budget of a public pay commission to report by next summer. Surely we must realise that the situation in which we find ourselves is grave, that schools will close and that gardaí will not be on the streets. The response from Government seems to be a complete misunderstanding of the sensitivities involved, of the public sector and of how to deal with industrial relations. The response has been a "face them down" attitude which is not going to work. What the House does not need is any more hyperbole so I ask the Cathaoirleach and the Leader to respectfully request the Minister to attend to the matter to overcome the situation where our schools are going to close down and where gardaí are not on the street. If that was to happen in any other European member state, the assumption would be that their Government had completely lost control of the situation.

I ask that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform come to the House to expand on his one line statement in the Budget Statement as to what is his vision for the public sector. It might contribute to a conversation on how we might avoid the situation of our schools closing, of gardaí not being on the street and of bitterness and rancour being in our schools and in our police force for years to come.

If the Government's tone is to continue along the line of what the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Varadkar said yesterday, then I would worry that the situation would completely unravel