Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I need to understand what the step change is going to be and I need to hear it from the Minister because he is the decision maker. He has the power to fix this. When he fixes it, he will be doing so not on Sinn Féin's behalf but on behalf of all of the political parties here. I do not believe there is any difference on either side of this Chamber in terms of what needs to be done for these people.

I have a genuine fear that once we pass this Bill, when those negotiations resume, we will hear the same voices from the Department who will be talking about unintended consequences and if it does this there will be claims from X, Y, Z and all the rest of it. That will not do. We need to see a clear step change. We do not need to see these talks dragged out any further. Three and a half years is far too long. A mandate must be given to the HR department and to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to sanction a significant pay rise and deal with the other very reasonable issues that have been raised about converting overtime into an allowance. The grade must be changed for these people so they can see a substantial difference from next year. They have waited far too long as it is. My worry is that, so far, the reality is the people negotiating with my union, SIPTU, do not have a mandate to offer any more than the grim, insulting 3%.

It is a stain on all of us for as long as we have people in here being paid as little as €11.75. It is awful. I do not understand why we do not make this site a living wage site so that we could look everyone in the eye, whether employed directly by the Oireachtas or employed by contractors, and know that at least they get the living wage of €12.90 an hour.