Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I need to raise with the Minister of State the failure of the Department and the HSE to honour the public service stability agreement, PSSA. It is deeply ironic that, at a time when the Minister is citing this agreement as a reason for not negotiating with the nurses - incorrectly, by the way - he and his Department are in breach of the agreement.

The Minister of State will know from the Commencement matter I have raised that I am referring to the job evaluation process which was carried out under the terms of this agreement and which was completed on 4 October in respect of up to 7,000 support staff. I have a personal interest in this matter because, for years, I had the great honour to work with these support staff from time to time in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, and I am aware of the incredible work they do. I know how much these jobs have been changed, enhanced and broadened for healthcare assistants, porters, lab staff and central sterilising supplies department, CSSD, operatives.

These people waited seven years to even have a job evaluation take place because of FEMPI. They worked through the hardest of times in our health service and, God knows, it has worsened rather than improved. Finally, under the terms of this agreement, the process took place and was completed on 4 October. Under the terms of the agreement, the awards made under this process should be made within six weeks, and that is noted in the job evaluation document itself. Yet, for these healthcare assistants, porters and lab staff, nothing has happened. Worse than that, the Department refused to sit down with their union, SIPTU, and refused to engage with the union prior to the Estimates for the health service being completed for this year. Right now, not only is the Department in breach of the PSSA, but it has not allocated moneys to fulfil this agreement in the budget for this year.

We are talking about the people who keep this health service going from day to day, alongside our courageous nurses, who, quite rightly, have made the decision to take industrial action. What the Government is doing by ignoring the PSSA is forcing another union, SIPTU, to take industrial action, and that is just what will happen. I cannot believe the neck of the Minister, Deputy Harris, to quote the PSSA while being blatantly in breach of the same agreement. I am hoping the Minister of State will confirm that the Government will honour the terms of this agreement and pay the moneys due, which are pay rises of between 5% and 7% for these workers. No other answer will be appropriate.