Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Some former colleagues of the Leader and myself will once again stand outside the gates of Leinster House today seeking equality of pay in the education system. As everyone knows, we cannot fix the wrongs that led the country on a trail of destruction from 2008 until 2012 or thereabouts. The problem we have is that the salary available will not entice people to enter education. The cost of training has gone through the roof because the period of training has increased to two years and the State provides no assistance. In many of the English newspapers, we see advertisements enticing people to move to England, have their teacher training costs paid for and receive a salary that provides a reasonable living standard. We must do something in education because we are losing the best as the system bites. While I acknowledge the problem cannot be fixed overnight, a clear indication must be given to teachers that better times lie ahead. I ask the Leader to organise a debate on the issue.

On the matter of women's suffrage, as the brother of eight sisters, a husband and a father of one daughter and grandfather of one granddaughter, it is great that we will celebrate women's suffrage today. It is also great that we have seen some degree of equality. While I do not like to generalise, it is great that the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is a female and that women are making serious inroads into society. The one area of life in which they are not making inroads is politics. To make it in politics a woman must be better than the best. If we are discussing women's suffrage one hundred years after it was introduced, we should have a look around both Houses of the Oireachtas because we are not there yet. Unfortunately, I will not be present for the debate one women's suffrage as I must attend a committee meeting. We need to start at the top and work our way down, as has been done in the trade union movement where a number of general secretaries are now female. Unfortunately, the number is still not half enough.

Another problem I experienced in my previous role in the trade union movement is that we do not create an environment that makes it easy for women to enter trade union politics or politics in general. I recall women resigning from the national executive of my union because all meetings were held in Dublin and they had to get home to their children by a reasonable hour.However, meetings of the executive often went on until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. Similarly, female Members of the Oireachtas have to return to work immediately after having a child. There is no maternity leave for politicians. We must start looking at how we can be more equal in terms of how our colleagues are treated. Grand statements will be made today but I would love to see some action.