I heard an interesting story recently concerning salaries in the public sector. Turns out a certain individual who works in one of the Universities - earning circa 100k i think - is also working for another state body who pay him circa 75k. the work in the second body involves 'project work' and he appears on site about once a fortnight by all accounts.

Anyway, funnily enough I was talking to this individual about three weeks ago, and he tells me, in his own words 'he is earning very little' that he was 'just a poor guy' and that the people at the top in his university are 'creaming it' and that the difference in salaries has to be revisited - i.e. that he should be earning more.

what do posters think?

This poster thinks that one anecdote about one person who earns probably more than 99% of public sector workers might be an "interesting story concerning salaries in the public sector" but is hardly an illuminating one.

It is well known that the the salaries of the managerial level in the universities have been sky-rocketing in recent years, but that has come about largely because they have begun comparing their remuneration to the obscene levels that private sectors managers have been getting. That fact that they are now as greedy as the private sector top brass is hardly flattering to the private sector, either.

Are you trying to dehumanise 'this poster' - poster?

I was referring to myself, obviously.

Id say that more specifics are needed to stop me getting this out..

there are perhaps 30 people (check the lists published a few months ago) erarning "off scale" in universities.

This thread reminds me of just how much I love being lectured about "the real world" by Moore McDowell on various radio and TV programmes. Just love it.

anyways what's your point? the tax payer doesn't have to pay private sector salaries

my point was that in a budget deficit situation what is going to be done about salaries in the public sector when the state is in danger of not being able to afford to pay them?

why is my contribution as a tax payer going towards keeping heads of universities, and public bodies, like the FASs of this country, in significant 6-figure salaries. there are some 3,000 public sector workers earning in excess of 100,000 Euro - and it is not good enough

Well, at the moment the state is underwriting bankers salaries, which more or less amounts to the same thing.

If you want to know my personal opinion, I think the state should cap the pay of all top nobs in all the organisations (ie. including BOTH the banks and universities) it funds.

i agree completely

Personally I think you have it all wrong. We have all heard the explanation, if you don't pay top dollar, you don't get the quality people in these positions. This is self evidently true.
What we need to do is to double or treble the salaries of our TDs, ministers, judges, bankers etc..

Obviously the rediculously low salaries we are paying are the reason we have such a poor standard of person currently running around trying to fix the problem, they created.