The Government has claimed repeatedly that it is legally prevented from cutting the obscene pensions of former politicians and top civil servants. As we speak, however, the Government is moving to tear up an agreement made with public sector workers that was supposed to run until the middle of 2014, and is demanding further drastic cuts in pay and conditions for public sector workers who have already been hammered with cuts in their pay and conditions in the last four years.

Even before the Croke Park agreement, public sector workers lost between 15% and 20% of their pay in levies, cuts and the universal social charge. Under the Croke Park agreement, public sector workers have given back €1.5 billion in savings through redeployment, linking increments to performance, changing shift patters, reducing the pay of new entrants by 10% to 20%, cutting pensions to career average earnings, increasing the retirement age to 68, reducing numbers, supposedly by 18,000 initially but now up to 35,000, and by endless other cuts in pay, conditions and allowances. Now, on top of that the Government wants another €1 billion in cuts.

Does the Tánaiste realise the proposed cuts in premiums and allowances will mean a 10% cut in pay for nurses, firefighters, gardaí and other public servants? Does he realise the additional five hours work per week proposed for public servants is an effective pay cut of 12.8%? Does the Tánaiste not understand that tens of thousands of public sector workers are among the 180,000 who cannot pay their mortgages and who are now to be hit by €1,000 extra in interest payments per year, home taxes and water charges?

A question please.

I ask the Tanáiste, as leader of the Labour Party on the hundredth anniversary of the 1913 Lockout, is it not a monstrous betrayal by the Labour Party of the traditions of that party and its founder, James Connolly, to be asking further pay cuts of nurses whose take home pay is approximately €25,000 per year-----

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett.

-----or newly-qualified teachers whose take home pay is €21,000 per year-----

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett.

-----and those demands being made by Ministers who are on €140,000 a year? Would James Connolly not be spinning in his grave at what the Tánaiste is trying to do to these workers?

Deputy Boyd Barrett described the way in which the previous Government came in here with legislation and unilaterally cut the pay of those who work in the public services. This Government respects the staff who work in the public services-----

It is a funny way to show it.

-----the gardaí, the nurses, those who work in the hospitals, those who work in the schools-----

Yellow-pack nurses.

Sorry, will the Deputy desist?

-----and those who go out and work on the roads, and clear the drains.

Two-tier nurses.

These are the staff who we respect. That is why-----

They do not respect the Tánaiste.

That is why the approach that this Government has taken is to sit down with their representatives-----

And then threaten with legislation.

-----to negotiate the requirement to reduce the pay bill by €1 billion. That is the requirement.

When those days are over, they legislate.

That reduction is something that will be negotiated with the representatives of the staff who work in the public services. When that process of negotiation is completed, their representatives - their unions - will put the outcome of the discussions to a ballot of their members, who will then decide democratically whether they want to accept it or not.

That is the right approach to take. It is one that respects the staff who work in the public services. It is the most sensible way of dealing with it. It is dealing with it by way of negotiation and discussion. The place for those negotiations and discussion to take place is at the negotiating table, not by megaphone. The place for it is not in here in this Chamber, but around the table with the representatives of those who work in the public services. Those discussions are underway and out of respect for those who work in the public services, everybody in this House-----

The Government has broken them down.

-----should allow that process of negotiations to continue and to conclude and then let the outcome be put to the members by way of ballot.

The Government has stated it will cut unilaterally if they do not agree. That is democracy.

Deputy Boyd Barrett has one minute.

How can the Tánaiste seriously talk of respect when Ministers who are earning €140,000 a year, several multiples of what teachers, nurses or firefighters are earning, are asking those workers-----

Deputy Boyd Barrett is earning €130,000.

-----to take even further cuts in pay and conditions?

Deputy Boyd Barrett himself is on €130,000.

He is on €140,000.

The leaders' allowance.

I refer to workers, who can barely make their mortgage payments, who can barely pay their bills. How are they supposed to-----

Some €40,000 of it tax free.

They still do not get it.

How are those, who are already in mortgage distress and in arrears, supposed to pay their mortgages? How are they supposed to pay the home tax the Government now wants to impose on them?

A question, please.

Does the Ceann Comhairle not understand the subjunctive? I asked the Tánaiste how are they supposed to pay their mortgages and their bills, or the home taxes.

Deputy Boyd Barrett is now over time. Would he please resume his seat?

What makes the Tánaiste think-----

Deputy Boyd Barrett is now over time. The Tánaiste to reply.

-----the Government can justify another-----

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett. Would he resume his seat? He is over time. The Tánaiste to reply.

After you cutting across me, a Cheann Comhairle?

Excuse me, it is my duty to remind Deputy Boyd Barrett that this is Leaders' Questions, not statements.

It was a question.

It was rhetorical rhetoric.

Excuse me-----

Resume your seat.

It was bad rhetoric.

Resume your seat.

On a point of order, it was a question.

Resume your seat, I said.

A Cheann Comhairle-----

Resume your seat, I said.

It was a question.

Resume your seat.

They will not let us speak.

Resume your seat.

The Ceann Comhairle stated it was not a question; it was.

Resume your seat, resume your seat.

Deputy Boyd Barrett is trying. The Ceann Comhairle is shouting at him.

I asked the Tánaiste-----

Resume your seat, will you please?

Deputy Boyd Barrett wants to go the scenic route.

Would Deputy Boyd Barrett please resume his seat?

Could the Tánaiste answer the question?

Deputy Boyd Barrett would sit down in St. Michael's if he was told.

Take it easy now.

All over this country, individuals who work in the public services, whether teachers in schools or staff who work in the hospitals, local authorities or any area of the public services, voluntarily join a trade union-----

Support the Labour Party.

-----and they elect their trade union leaders. Those trade unions sit down with Government to negotiate pay agreements, conditions of employment, how the interface between management and employee operates in practice. That is what this Government believes in.

We believe in sitting down and negotiating with the representatives of those who work in our-----

Pay cuts.

The only matter of which we can be sure is that those discussions are underway. There is no point in anybody here in this House trying to second guess what is going on in the negotiations or trying to predict the outcome.

The Government is threatening unilateral pay cuts.

The only matter of which we can be sure about the outcome of those negotiations is whenever they are concluded Deputy Boyd Barrett will accuse, as he always does, the representatives of the employees of selling them out.

That completes Leaders' Questions for today.