Good luck to the PS workers.

[Rebel_Yell]

One of the main reasons why we are having a debate on cutting public sector pay is because of the government's crony ESRI.
http://www.politics.ie/economy/122824-esri-funding.html

The cronyism of the government and the ESRI explains why we never hear it suggested that we reduce our borrowing by:
1. taxing the windfall gains of those who sold property in the Celtic Tiger.
2. Not giving public money to bank investors (share and bondholders) whose investments failed.

The problem is that for 1. A lot of the money is gone. Windfalls evaporated into the dreamworld from whence they came. Some people made money but I think it may be difficult to tax income earned years ago. Constitution would preclude it I would imagine.

We are all (well those of us who have defined contribution pensions) bank investors. Many, many pension funds invested in banking shares and a hell of a lot of older people also did so. These were ordinary people.

[The Underdog]

The problem is that for 1. A lot of the money is gone. Windfalls evaporated into the dreamworld from whence they came. Some people made money but I think it may be difficult to tax income earned years ago. Constitution would preclude it I would imagine.

Didn’t stop them going after all those bogus non resident accounts, in some cases 20 years later. All those people who think/thought they are getting away with renting out properties on the QT beware . .they're will be a day of reckoning along with some nice fat penalties . . . its all money in the bank for the Revenue Commissioners, in fact the longer they leave it the more penalty money they will get in the end, and remember, unlike criminal legislation, tax legislation puts the onus on you to prove you weren’t renting out that second property. Revenue doesn’t have to prove anything. Under tax law you’re guilty until you prove you’re innocent.

[toughbutfair]

oh, i know, i tend to treat every debate TBF is involved in with a pinch of salt. He just tries to be as inflammatory as he can, quiet sad really.

fascinating stuff.

[slumdog1971]

Have a word with your union rep and tell them to stop playing games, that's who the real enemy of the PS worker is.

Unions are a pathethic joke. If they were any good they would called the membership all out after the pension levy was so crudely introduced.

No Government would have cut the pay a second time if we had gone all out after the first pay cut.

McLoone, Geraghty, Horan are a waste of space. If we had gone out for two weeks last march, the gov would have fallen and we wouldn't have had to endure a second pay cut.

[ryson]

There will be no effect unless the people as a whole stand up to the banking robber barons and their endless taxpayer bailouts..

[Boggle]

Unions are a pathethic joke. If they were any good they would called the membership all out after the pension levy was so crudely introduced.

No Government would have cut the pay a second time if we had gone all out after the first pay cut.

McLoone, Geraghty, Horan are a waste of space. If we had gone out for two weeks last march, the gov would have fallen and we wouldn't have had to endure a second pay cut.

Agree that they should have gone all out at the pension levy. At least if they did that, they could have forced to treat its employees with respect and if cuts had to be made they would have at least been acknowledged as cuts and not insulted by cuts that aren't cuts.

Even if they couldn't get the levy reversed they might have been able to take steps to ensure that there will definitely be a pension at the end of the levies.

[asset test]

Anglo Irish Bank is nationalised. Taxpayer pays for it now.

Staff did NOT have to take any PS paycuts at all.

Anyone know why?

[Boggle]

Anglo Irish Bank is nationalised. Taxpayer pays for it now.

Staff did NOT have to take any PS paycuts at all.

Anyone know why?

Was going to say that they fell under the same status as semi-states but thats not really true is it?

[DCon]

Agree that they should have gone all out at the pension levy. At least if they did that, they could have forced to treat its employees with respect and if cuts had to be made they would have at least been acknowledged as cuts and not insulted by cuts that aren't cuts.

Even if they couldn't get the levy reversed they might have been able to take steps to ensure that there will definitely be a pension at the end of the levies.

Union Leaders pay is linked to Senior Civil Servant pay. FF and the Greens were not just looking after Senior Civil Servants when they u-turned on the salary cuts.

Hitting McLoone and co in their pockets would have made them angrier than hitting all their members pockets

[Boggle]

Union Leaders pay is linked to Senior Civil Servant pay. FF and the Greens were not just looking after Senior Civil Servants when they u-turned on the salary cuts.

Hitting McLoone and co in their pockets would have made them angrier than hitting all their members pockets

Not surprised if this is true. Surely now its time for employees to wake up and stop being taken for idiots?

Public vs private? More like everybody vs the lower paid public service.