Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Following on from Senator Daly's contribution, I attended a conference on Brexit in Brussels last week, a central part of which was the need to develop a European army. I recall making the statement at the time that if the EU moves to do that another country, namely, Ireland, will be exiting Europe.

I am calling on the Leader today to discuss with the Minister for Public and Expenditure and Reform the major industrial relations collapse into which we appear to be steam-rolling. Currently, the ASTI, GRA, AGSI, INMO and the IMO are in difficulty with respect to the Lansdowne Road agreement, whether inside or outside it. I have sat around the table of executive committees in unions. Unless something is done the Government runs the risk of the Lansdowne Road agreement collapsing. I agree with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and all of the Ministers who have publicly stated that the only show in town is the Lansdowne Road agreement. If side-deals are done to halt industrial action, they will lead to the leapfrog syndrome creeping into industrial relations and everybody looking for more.

We must re-open the Lansdowne Road agreement, and we have only three weeks within which to do so, if we want to put this industrial unrest to bed. To be fair, the Leader's party, bears the responsibility for overheating expectations within the economy during the election campaign. The peace and harmony in industrial relations has been stalled, with some of the main unions in this country having stepped outside the industrial relations process. Unless we get these unions back into the tent not only will they leave the process but so, too, will other unions. That is my prediction.

I am asking that the Leader engage with Ministers on the need to get all of the unions back into the process. There is no need to be afraid. Trade unions in this country have shown in the past that they are pragmatic and capable of doing a deal. It strikes me that members of the Fine Gael Party are not really labour people. They are not people who understand public service workers. Perhaps Fine Gael should engage with the Labour Party which helped it so much in the last Government-----