Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I too want to extend my condolences on behalf of the Sinn Féin Party to the Cathaoirleach on the sad passing of his sister, Eileen, and indeed to the Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Paul Coghlan, on the sad passing of his mother as well. May they rest in peace.

I raise today the strike we are facing on Thursday that will have very serious implications. That is the strike of the healthcare assistants, the homecare assistants, the maternity care assistants, the staff, the cleaners, the laboratory aides, the chefs and the surgical instrument cleaners who operate our hospitals and health facilities.These are the people who hold our health service together. Some 6,200 workers are affected in 38 facilities across the country, including the Central Mental Hospital. I welcome that a delegation from SIPTU, led by Paul Bell, came to Leinster House earlier to discuss the implications with Members and give us the details. I also thank my colleague, Senator Gavan, and Senator Nash for inviting them.

It is disgraceful how these workers are being treated. They may be described as servants in the Health Acts but they are not slaves, which is exactly how the State has been treating many of them. They are on low wages as it is, and have agreements on phases 1 and 2 with Government, but the Government will not implement them. Even the employer, that is the HSE, has agreed. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has been aware of this all the time but it did not make provision for it in the budget, which is disgraceful. These workers must not continue to be treated in this disrespectful and dismissive manner. Massive bonuses for bankers are being reintroduced while tax relief for vulture funds continue, yet this is how the State treats the lowest paid, hardest working in our society. It is unacceptable that these workers face entering an official dispute to secure what they are owed. They are not looking for anything extra, only what has been agreed and what is owed to them.

The Government has saved millions of euro since 2008 when the job evaluation scheme was suspended. These are the low-paid workers who get up early in the morning and just about manage to exist. The Government must implement this agreement. It is within its gift to prevent this strike and the impact it will have on communities and to the most vulnerable from happening on Thursday. The Government must honour this agreement or I will join the picket lines in Mayo with these SIPTU workers on Thursday.