Varadkar says TDs should not decide their own pay as SF publishes motion to block pay rises
Sinn Féin has put forward a motion in the Dáil calling for all pay rises for all politicians to be stopped.
The party says the restoration of pay that was cut during the financial crisis is unwarranted and outrageous.
Members of the Cabinet, Ministers of State and a few TDs have already said they will not be accepting the pay increase.
However, Leo Varadkar is sticking to the Government position that it would be wrong to go back to a situation of politicians setting their own pay.
Mr Varadkar said: "TDs should not decide what their own pay is. A link was established between TDs' pay and that of principal officers a number of years ago and we believe that that link should remain.
"We don’t want to go back to what you want to do which is politicians deciding what they are paid.
"That link will remain where TDs' pay is linked to that of principal officers."
Sinn Féin's spokesperson for public expenditure and reform, David Cullinane, published the motion to force a Dáil vote in three weeks time to try and stop the pay rise for TDs.
Under the Lansdowne Road Pay Agreement, TDs are entitled to a €300 a month increase to reverse a cut during the financial crisis.
However, Mr Cullinane says every TD should say no to the extra money.
He said: "We hope that all parties will support this motion, and we can start to focus on the outstanding issues in the public sector and acknowledge that pay restoration for TDs is not, and should not be treated as, a top priority.
"This is an issue of fairness. We are still witnessing a two-tier recovery.
"The legacy of cuts to pay and public services continues to place enormous pressure on ordinary people and households."
He said that they party's TDs will reject the pay increase regardless of whether our motion is successful or not.
He said: "It wrong for TDs to jump the queue. The fact that the first repayment to TDs and senators will take place on April 1, 2017, is a joke in very poor taste."
