Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to speak about this morning's strike that was commenced by health service staff and workers, as Senator Nash has already referred to. We are aware from different strikes in the health services that the spin from the Government and the Department gives a sense that workers and unions just strike for the crack of it and go to the gates and discommode a lot of people, including themselves, their families, patients and those on waiting lists. This, however, is quite false or as a Trumpian would say it is "fake news". It is not as simple as just saying that the Workplace Relations Commission is available. The Department has reneged on an agreement that was made in 2017 for these 10,000 workers for job evaluations and an agreement and a price was put on the cost of that decision. I was with health service workers at the gates of St. James's Hospital this morning and I give a shout out to Patricia Slattery who organised that strike. Workers such as this are the engine rooms of hospitals. The nurses and doctors are seen as the more visible face of hospital staff but these 10,000 health service workers are in the engine rooms providing essential services for our patients. They are marching but it is not for the good of their own health. They are looking to strike also over two or three days next week looking only for the implementation of what has already been decided. As Senator Nash has said, this is not a new pay claim. It is a claim that has been hanging over health service staff for years. Government inaction has made it sound as though these workers are greedy and the bogeyguys, but this is not the case. These workers need what is rightly due to them. They are workers on modest wages who work in the engine rooms of our hospitals and health services.