Gerald Nash (Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is clear to everyone that the Government has no industrial relations strategy whatsoever.Four weeks ago today, this House approved a Labour Party motion proposing to establish an employer-labour conference to address some of the massive and unprecedented industrial relations issues facing the country. Since the passage of that motion, we have had rank and file members of An Garda Síochána and members of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors voting to withdraw their labour. In addition, members of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, ASTI, have decided to take strike action. The Government is drowning under a tsunami of industrial relations problems and does not have a clue how to go about resolving them. Our motion was designed to assist the Government in digging itself out of a hole. What has the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation done to progress the motion we passed? Is the Government essentially ignoring the democratic decision of this House? We offered advice on a plate to the Government as to how it could be assisted in resolving some of the major industrial relations issues confronting the country. If this is new politics, I would like to see the old politics back, and quickly.

The Government is tone deaf on industrial relations and has no idea how to resolve the problems piling up on Ministers' desks. When Members advise the Government as to how it might proceed, by introducing a mechanism such as an employer-labour conference, they are apparently given the two-fingered salute. In the meantime, the problems mount up day in and day out as large numbers of public servants prepare this week to withdraw their labour. Members expect the Leader to vindicate the rights of this House and ensure the motions that come from it go through the correct process and are implemented by Government. We have yet to see any sign of that in this case. What has happened to the motion passed just four weeks ago in this Chamber? If the answer is that it cannot be implemented, what then is the point of Members passing motions, only for them to be given the two fingers?