Taoiseach ‘dishonest’ on pay disparity

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was accused of making unacceptable and dishonest comments in the Dáil yesterday on the continung pay dispute involving staff in voluntary hospitals.

During leaders’ questions, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin challenged the Taoiseach on the demands by staff in section 39 hospitals to be included in the Government’s pay restoration programme for public servants.

The staff in the hospitals and agencies, which are either partly funded or mostly funded by the State, were hit with pay cuts during the crash in line with their public service colleagues, but according to Mr Varadkar they are not in line for pay restoration.