Exploding public pay rates

[Kevin Doyle]

Joe, 30% at the higher levels is possible (not probable) and warranted and perhaps even more than 30%. The scope at the bottom is very limited if even possible at this stage. We could easily achieve 30% between wage reduction and job elimination. Take the Health service and the extra layer of management installed at the inception of the service. All those quangos that are not needed, those working in those quangos should be eliminated from the work force. I'm sure there are other areas if I had access to the relevant information.

Spot one, the real disgrace in PS pay rates are and always where at the top end. Include expenses and per diems and you find a truely alarming gravy train.

At the polar opposite things are as fiscally tight as they always where.

Our company had a board meeting on Monday, the members had their lunch brought in by caterers and yet these clowns are deciding on cost saving and where to axe jobs and cut salaries.

[wexfordman]

Your contention that the PS is responible for all our ills is really becoming tedious not to mention childish. We cannot afford a decent healthcare service becaus those pesky public sector workers are overpaid and ineffeicent!!! Well the news is, it would be wonderful of that was the case, the solution would be very easy, but alas that is not the case and scapegoating is a futile past time.

Hopi, there is no organsiation in the world, private or public sector that is a model of effeceincy, there is no organisation in the world that cannot be made more effeceint, and any such organisation that does not reform will die in the private sector, in the public sector it will assist in drowning our economy even further than it is at the moment. If you say that it is not possible to reform and improve the public service to a significant measure, then you are purely and simply a liar.

[Kevin Doyle]

Recovery in the short term??????? Are you for real????? what planet are you living on????? There is no short term anything in this country except desperation.

Short term being 3-5 years.

Most economists are predicting that all the major economies will over the slump by then, it is generally agreed that Ireland will be last of the developed economies to emerge so we could say 6 years. That is still short term.

I also qualified my assertion with term,hope. None of this is a certainty and economists in the past 6-8 months have only proven how woefully bad they are at predicting anything.

But one thing is for sure, if the IMF are called in, they will do more damage to the economy than FF,FG, labour or the Greens could ever do.

[wexfordman]

The artificial pricing of these regulators particularly wrts to the ESB was to maintain a high price to stimulate or attract so-called competition. The ESB could be operating a break even right now which would result in prices being slashed-they handed back 300 million last year to the exchequer. But no-one is asking for that

I agree, a ridiclous scenario, and also the regulator needs to allow more reactive change to enegergy pricing relative to costs. Bear in mind though, that ESB prices will be dropping by up to 25% over the next few months if you want. Made of of copetitor offereings in the region of 10 to 14% cheaper, and pending cuts in esb prices of 10%. So competition is starting to work, regulation needs to improve though.

[Watcher1]

The IMF cannot insist on anything until they are invited in.

The IMFs intervention will put the euro under huge pressure and could trigger its collapse, its my contention that the ECB has far too much invested in the euro to take such a big risk with its stability by allowing IMF intervention in one of its constituent states.

The ECB will either draw up a plan for the Government to implement or Ireland could be forced out of the euro altogether.

Sorry, when I said the IMF will insist on coming in it was in the context of the loan we will be forced to take from them. I hope you are right on the ECB intervention.

[Kevin Doyle]

and any such organisation that does not reform will die in the private sector,

Here is the problem with much of your opinion. This particular snippet is simply not true.

The private sector does not stand or fall by this axiom, there are many private sector companies that establish footholds and thrive with the most appalling Customer services and to some extent services imaginable, where they excel is cutting costs and corners to maintain profitability. They are efficient at certain things, woefully so in others.

[Watcher1]

Spot one, the real disgrace in PS pay rates are and always where at the top end. Include expenses and per diems and you find a truely alarming gravy train.

At the polar opposite things are as fiscally tight as they always where.

Our company had a board meeting on Monday, the members had their lunch brought in by caterers and yet these clowns are deciding on cost saving and where to axe jobs and cut salaries.

There is a lot of that going on, even in private sector. The good companies surgically remove that largese though. Our company had a Director running our office up to last year. This guy didn't know when to stop spending. Needless to say, he was gone at the turn of the year.

[Conor]

The local cost of living is equal for public and private sector workers, right?

Therefore in any given economy, one would expect similar relativities between public and private sector wages, right?

That doesn't follow.

[wexfordman]

Here is the problem with much of your opinion. This particular snippet is simply not true.

The private sector does not stand or fall by this axiom, there are many private sector companies that establish footholds and thrive with the most appalling Customer services and to some extent services imaginable, where they excel is cutting costs and corners to maintain profitability. They are efficient at certain things, woefully so in others.

Fair point (if you take what I said literally, and perhaps I should have qualified it, but you have done so), but, two things,

You can seperate effeceincy and customer service.

A company in the private sector NOT will survive in the face of decline in revenues if it does not reform and cut costs. That does not neccessarily translate to improved or maintaining customer service, the trick is doing both.


Private sector companies with poor service, are generally ones with monopolies or captive market. Companies like this in the irish market are a dime a dozen unfortunately.

[turdsl]

As from today, nurses Gardai, teachers, when their wages get smaller, just hold onto what you have,no eating out, no pubs,keep out of the shops in general cut back to just essentials,Cowen says it might be over in 5 years,