Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Apologies, I was never strong on religion. I stand corrected.

The final issue I raise relates to health and community workers. Approximately 5,000 of them will go on strike on 17 October. These are the front-line workers the Taoiseach was happy to applaud during Covid, that is, the people who make an incredible difference to the lives of those with disabilities, who help them get up in the morning, shower, get dressed, go to the toilet or even get them a drink of water. These are the members of SIPTU, Fórsa and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, whom the Taoiseach, his party and its sister party, Fianna Fáil, have ignored for more than a decade. They have not had a pay rise since 2008.I know some of these workers. I had the honour of representing them during my time with SIPTU. The last thing they want to do is to go on strike. These workers deserve pay parity. The Taoiseach knows the issues. It is all about how the sector is funding them. The cost of ignoring them and not settling this dispute will be devastating to the people who rely on these workers. I am asking the Taoiseach to act now to deliver the pay justice his Government has denied these workers for more than a decade. As things stand, the week after next the Taoiseach will be boasting about tax cuts, even as the Government leaves these workers and the people for whom they care to twist in the wind. It is not good enough.