IMF could take over and "order" mass dismissal of public servants

[JCSkinner]

One of the very large Irish banks.

Which one?

[grainne whale]

Sorry to disappoint you, but I do not work in the public sector.
What government should be doing is controlling spending and cutting waste. It is highly debatable whether placing people on the dole would be in anyway productive. As has been pointed out before here, there is plenty of scope to control public spending but we never hear you refer to these. The quangos that were created to give jobs to the boys, all still in situ, (Celia is still picking up a nice cheque every month and Mary Harney is still throwing millions to the for-profit healthcare sector). My reading of what the PS unions are saying is that 'we will not be scapegoated', and I agree wholeheartedly with that. Before we start reducing people's pay or dumping them on the dole, we must introduce a fair progressive tax system across the board so as to spread the burden and in which those best able to, carry the heaviest load. After all it was they who benefited during the so called boom. There are very few PS workers with holiday homes etc.

I totally agree with you, if government waste was curtailed and all paid their fair due of tax and VAT we would not be in this mess. I recently had a company do some work around my house, I paid for the work done, now I new that the VAT element of the payment was never going to reach the Revenue Commissioners. Another example is I have a friend who is a Director of a car company and he was paid €30,000 in cash to carry out a particular project, was tax and PRSI ever paid on that - now I ask you!!

[bobbysands81]

Meanwhile back in the real world...

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said he made no comment on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when responding to a statement by a senior trade union official this morning.

The Taoiseach has also said that Ireland's debt position is relatively low by international standards.

Speaking earlier in Tokyo, Mr Cowen gave backing to comments made by Dan Murphy, the general secretary of the Public Service Executive Union.

Cowen 'did not mention IMF' in economic briefings - The Irish Times - Wed, Jan 14, 2009

[Conor]

Which one?

I've PM'ed you.

[DaveM]

Contrary to popular belief and though some private sector companies have imposed pay cuts and/or job losses, it is not true to say that this is happening everywhere. Indeed, sizable private companies have already agreed to pay the new Towards 2016 increases and others are expected to follow suit.

So much for everyone feeling the pain.

Kevin, most analysts are predicting 100,000 job losses during 2009. In terms of sharing the pain, can you tell us how many of these will be in the public sector? Bear in mind that in the abscence of any government decision or agreement with the unions this figure does not factor in any redundancy or VER scheme yet to be agreed.

Kevin, do you have an answer to this? I don't like to harp on a single point but if you are going to give out about the pain not being shared then this is a pretty central issue.

[Pax]

Get a Grip, the IMF will not 'take over' the running of the country. Mr Hennessy is indulging in a spot of scaremongering and using a bankrupt institution, which is on the verge of collapse itself, to do it.

PSUs are doing what they are mandated to do. That mandate will change. What will happen is that the Public sector will move to implement rapid cost saving measures, in addition to a mixed bag of moderate pay cuts and voluntary redundancies.

It's hardly surpising that he would use the IMF as stick to beat the public sector.

Hennessy is a doctrinaire neoliberal like most pol corrs in the corporate media.

about us
"We did not expect the Soviet Communist Party's newspaper Pravda to tell the truth about the Communist Party, why should we expect the corporate press to tell the truth about corporate power? "

[Kevin Doyle]

Kevin, do you have an answer to this? I don't like to harp on a single point but if you are going to give out about the pain not being shared then this is a pretty central issue.

I'm not giving out about the pain, I am simply pointing out that those who claim the private sector is enduring it across the board are wrong.

It’s almost as if some people would feel better if the Public Sector mirrored those jobs loses for no other reason than as to appear balanced.

The fact remains that there are many in the private sector who will keep their jobs, others who will continue to earn significant sums of money etc etc.

People here are forwarding pain-sharing as some yardstick to which all endeavours in the economy must be measured.

The fact remains we need public services, we need people employed to do them.

I do not contend that people losing their jobs in the private sector is sufficient reason for people losing their jobs in the Public sector. The still have a job to do.

[DeathKnell]

I do not contend that people losing their jobs in the private sector is sufficient reason for people losing their jobs in the Public sector. The still have a job to do.

You contended that Private Sector pay rates were reason enough for the Public Sector to be benchmarked up to them when it suited and when this in fact was a con.

We as in the Irish people never got the proposed increases in productivity that were promised in lieu of these payments either.. You (as in the PS Unions) in effect reneged on your own sweet deal..

No wonder there is SFA sympathy.. The oversight that was sadly lacking under Bertie is now coming like a wave, and like cockroaches when the lights turned on, your scuttling for cover

[Conor]

We as in the Irish people never got the proposed increses in productivity that were promised in lieu of these payments either..

Have you measured public service productivity in the intervening period?

[Kevin Doyle]

We as in the Irish people never got the proposed increases in productivity that were promised in lieu of these payments either.. You (as in the PS Unions) in effect reneged on your own sweet deal..

Proof of this? It might go someway to subsantiate your charges of a con.

No wonder there is SFA sympathy.. The oversight that was sadly lacking under Bertie is now coming like a wave, and like cockroaches when the lights turned on, your scuttling for cover

Again, have you an insight into public opinion that allows you make such sweeping claims?

Besides a severe psychotic obsession with all things FF, what have you actually suggested?

In terms of pain sharing (seeing as you are obsessed with it), what do you suggest for those who will not lose their jobs/ receive pay cuts? Have you any views on taxation? Have you any problem with closing the ridiculous tax incentives that fuelled this mess?

Just what is your position in all this beyond vitriolic verbiage and contempt in general toward the Public Sector.

Speak up boy, I’m getting tired of your bullsh*t. Lets get down to the nitty gritty and we'll see if you actually have something to say.