Sarah Carey - Forget education cuts and freeze public sector pay over €50K

[cactusflower]

The idea that anyone should get a payrise in the current situation is ridiculous.

If pay rates go up with IN-flation, then they should come down with DE-flation.

Surely it is better to keep as many people as possible employed - doing something productive - instead of putting many of them on the dole?

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The problem people have with the Estimates, is that the most disadvantaged people are being targetted while the top 20% are off scot free. When we get some equity into this, and that means the best off taking the most pain, then I think public servants would row in with everyone else to look after the common good.

The other question that should be asked is how many public servants have backed the students and old people? If there isn't going to be a division it is time you got out from behind the desks and put your money where your mouths are.

[DaveM]

Quick question. Given that the public sector unions demanded benchmarking to keep up with private sector pay during the boom would they now accept pay cuts due to the fact that public sector pay is now, on average, higher than that in the private sector?

[code twinkle]

To a large extent she's just stating the bloody obvious but it's still one of the best articles on the current situation I've read.

Shirtsleeve moment needed to steady the ship of State - The Irish Times - Wed, Oct 29, 2008

Simon Coveney suggested this ages ago - but in fairness it's stating the bleedin obvious.(although I disagree with a cut on frontline public sector wages eg. teachers, guards, etc once they are not doing solely admin work).

However the mask (Bertie + Celtic Tiger) has come off the ideologically driven right-wing capitalists that are Zanu-FF and we now see where they really stand on the poltical spectrum, hence their deciding to pick on the disadvantaged at the first opportunity they could.