Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to take this matter. He clearly regards it as important. When I first took my seat in 2014, I was immediately aware of the job of Seanad secretarial assistant, SA, and that it bore little resemblance to the work that SAs actually do. That was confirmed in a survey in 2017, which showed that Seanad SAs do the same work as parliamentary assistants in the Dáil. They undertake research, speech-writing, preparing newsletters and briefing papers and preparing material for committees, among other things. Not only is the job of an SA a misnomer, the pay does not compensate for the work they undertake. SAs currently earn €24,423 per year or €11.75 per hour. That would qualify an SA with one child to avail of working family payment from social welfare to supplement their income.

To add insult to injury, it currently takes 18 years to reach the maximum point on the SA scale on contracts that are fixed purpose and that do not exceed five years in duration. We are bringing all these passionate, highly educated and incredibly loyal people to assist us as legislators on temporary contracts with long working hours and we are paying them well below the living wage. In any other sector, we would be accused of gross exploitation and rightly vilified for this as a result.

What is even worse is that we, the employers of SAs, have no control over their terms and conditions. The Minister is the only person who can successfully address the issue. In 2018, SIPTU lodged a pay claim on behalf of SAs which called for the introduction of the parliamentary assistant scale for the Seanad and compensation for the SA scale so that staff in the Dáil are rewarded for the essential work they do in the Oireachtas. In 2019, I and other colleagues from across the House passed a motion calling on the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to meet with the staff union representing this group as a matter of urgency. It is now 2021 and no meeting has ever taken place. I appreciate there have been many emergency issues in the meantime.

This year, assistants in both the Dáil and Seanad were offered a pay increase of 1% in October, 1% in February 2022 and 1% in October 2022. That would bring their salaries to €25,162 per year or €12.09 per hour, which is still below the living wage. This was not acceptable and was rejected totally by the staff and their union, SIPTU. More importantly, it failed to address the fundamental issue that the role of an SA has evolved to the level of a parliamentary assistant and that the Dáil and Seanad have completely different roles. If a Seanad SA loses his or her job after an election, having the job of SA on a CV completely misrepresents the work they have done.

Earlier this year, the Ceann Comhairle relaunched the form on a family friendly and inclusive Parliament, which is an excellent initiative. However, we know that it is impossible to attract a diverse workforce and create truly inclusive workplaces without considering the factors that will encourage retention. I strongly believe salary transparency, pay equity and equal pay for equal work are the fundamental cornerstones in building an inclusive culture in the Oireachtas. SAs acquire a vast amount of proprietary knowledge very quickly and we should be doing everything we can to retain them. Instead, we are exploiting them while they are here.

I know that the Cabinet agreed to publish the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2021, which will provide €462.5 million to run the Dáil and Seanad for the next three years. It would be shameful if every aspect of the running of the Parliament was adequately funded except for the people on whom so many of us depend, who are the powerhouses in our offices and whose loyalty is beyond question. As a former leader of a trade union, I could never stand over people being paid different rates for the same work. When I came here, the terms for a Senator had changed as a result of a statutory instrument. As a result, I was not able to avail of the traditional part-time work in the Seanad and part-time work in a traditional occupation. It became a full-time job for me and, as such, I am entitled to the same supports as any full-time Member of the Oireachtas. Without my SA, Jean Webster, my office would not run. I would simply be neutered and unable to do anything. From that point of view I am asking the Minister today to reverse our current position.