Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, for coming to the House. While it is great to have him here, we were interested in talking to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform because we have been to believe that the delay lies with his Department as opposed to that of the Minister, Deputy Harris.

I will briefly outline the state of play and then my colleague, Senator Gavan, will speak more about the issue. Education tutors, SIPTU and the Teachers Union of Ireland, TUI, took a claim to regularise the employment of education tutors, of whom there are approximately 3,500. That claim was taken more than a decade ago. It was first encompassed in the Haddington Road Agreement and then it was developed in further agreements. My understanding is that progress on the claim ceased in 2019 when the then Department of Education and Skills refused to make an offer, as per a commitment in successive public service agreements, to establish a common sector-wide incremental salary scale for the employment of adult education tutors. The unions referred the matter to the Labour Court, as per the dispute resolution mechanism. The court, inter alia, considered it reasonable to recommend that the employer should identify a scale of costs it is now prepared or able to absorb to address the unions' claims and should formulate an offer within the parameters of the scale of cost. Despite repeated representations, protests outside Leinster House, and much communication between the Departments of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, the relevant Department has failed to formalise an offer. We believe the significant difficulty in this regard lies with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.

Senators Gavan and Black- unfortunately, the latter cannot be present - and I, would like to get clarification on the delay in considering the Labour Court recommendations. In July, the Government promised that there would be a recommendation by September. For the sake of dramatics, I point out that it is now March 2023, which is some time on. Senator Gavan will speak more about the impact on the workers in the sector. We cannot afford to treat workers in the adult education sector in the way they are currently being treated.