TDs' salaries should no longer be linked to the rest of the public sector, according to Dublin TD Mick Barry.
A €237 million deal for the public sector is set to lead to see increases across the workforce from February 1st.
As part of that, it's expected TDs and Senators would be in line for a 1% pay rise - amounting to around €1,000 a year for members of the Dáil.
Currently, a TD has a basic salary of just under €100,000 (€70,000 for a senator) - a salary linked to the principal officer grade in the civil service.
The latest pay rise, if approved, would come only a year after a 2% pay rise for politicians - again linked to broader pay rises within the public sector.
However, Solidarity TD Mick Barry told The Pat Kenny Show he believes it's time for a change.
He said: “I think TDs’ salary should be separated from the pay of the rest of the public sector - in this case, the principal officers.
“TDs are different: they’re meant to represent the people, and for many of our people they’ve been hit very hard - including in the pocket - by the pandemic. I don’t think this pay increase should go through.
“I don’t have any faith they would, but I call on the Government to introduce legislation which would separate the TDs out and allow for the increase to be stopped.”
The Cork TD believes TDs' wages are “far too high” currently and if anything should be reduced - saying €100,000 is "more than enough" to pay rent right across Ireland.
He believes TDs need to understand the financial pressures working people are under.
His own party’s TDs pledge to live on no more than the average industrial wage - “considerably below” what a TDs’ basic salary is.
For Deputy Barry, the best scenario would be for individual TDs not to have to make a personal choice to forego any pay rises.
However, he said there are options for those who are opposed to any pay increase or feel the current salary is too high.
He noted: "I know some TDs hand the money back to the State.
"The approach we take is we donate to campaigns to change society.”
