Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Is it any wonder people are cynical about politics? Furthermore, is it any wonder that the nurses have taken the justified decision to go on strike when even if one complies with this agreement, goes through the processes and waits seven years for the job evaluation to take place, we have a Department that turns around and says that one is owed that money but that it is not going to implement this, that it will have to have further talks about it, even though there is a note regarding the job evaluation form which states that within six weeks those moneys should be paid? The refusal of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to even sit down with SIPTU, which it was requested to do before the Estimates were settled, shows the completely cynical attitude towards the employees in the HSE. Is it any wonder there is industrial relations chaos in our health service when we have a Department and a Government that are so cynical regarding the people who keep our health service going?