Cowen refuses to lead by example on wage restraint

[White Horse]

Taoiseach in waiting Brian Cowen ruled out leading by example and declining the €38,000 pay hike inherited from Bertie Ahern. Is this another example of a bureaucrat who is unable to see the larger national interest but instead is solely focused upon his own bank balance?

Taoiseach-elect Brian Cowen claimed yesterday it would be "hypocritical" not to accept the massive pay rises awarded to him and fellow ministers.

The Tanaiste revealed there is no change to the plan to pick up the recommended €38,000 pay rise he inherits from his predecessor, Bertie Ahern.

On the day new pay talks begin and as he continued to warn about wage restraint, the Finance Minister said it would be worse to do a u-turn on the recommendation of the independent body which proposed the pay rises.


http://www.independent.ie/national-news ... 57745.html

[ballot stuffer]

Are you talking about the payhike he receives by becoming Taoisach from finance TD?

[badboy2]

I think he is referiing to the ridiculous pay hike proposed by some comission last year.

[Aindriu]

Did you honestly expect anything else from him? He is a Fianna Fail member after all.

[constitutionus]

(re badboy2 post )that they accepted. its only been delayed in being implemented to smoothe things over for theses talks.

TBH whos ************************ing surprised? pay restraint is for the little people. you dont see crys of productivity to justify raises from politicians in regards to their own pay increases.ditto for the banks, the same fukwits that got us into the credit crunch are STILL paying themselves millions despite the fact they cant trust each other enough to free up liquidity and have run the world into a recession.

still ,lends weight to the people angling for a rate of inflation plus deal. cowan has NO credibility when he's taking inexcess of the average industrial wage in a raise for doing the same job. EVERYONE in cabinet is among the top 2% of earners and can well afford to leave this. but no, thats too much like leading . aparently taoiseach doesnt mean that after all.

[Sligoboy]

I think he is referiing to the ridiculous pay hike proposed by some comission last year.

Yes, the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector which awarded the pay rise last October.

[seabhac siulach]

If this is an early example of Cowen's judgement, FF are in for a rocky few years...and a disastrous local election result...
Does he not realise that this issue is massively unpopular with the country at large?? Is he that insulated from reality?

[Sligoboy]

If this is an early example of Cowen's judgement, FF are in for a rocky few years...and a disastrous local election result...
Does he not realise that this issue is massively unpopular with the country at large?? Is he that insulated from reality?

No, I think he firmly believes that the appetite of the Irish electorate for poor leadership and diabolical governance is as dependable as ever.

[Utopian Hermit Monk]

According to Mr. Cowan:

"The pay increases are being made available to the judiciary and senior people in the garda, Army, etc to ensure we get good qualified people in those important positions."

I have no difficulty with talented people in key positions being rewarded for their services to the State, and I agree that salaries should be sufficient to attract such talented people.

The problem, as i see it, is that many of the people currently receiving these salaries are NOT particularly talented. On the contrary, many of them (politicians as well as civil servants) are downright mediocre, and are NOT serving the State well.

A recent example is the generous 'bonus' of €80,000 awarded to Brendan Drumm, in spite of the HSE shambles. Brendan Drumm may be a talented Paediatric Gastroenterologist, but his Management talents are far from conspicuous.

Mr. Cowan's talents as Taoiseach remain to be seen.

[david]

Simple arithmetic, innit?

A rise bigger than most people earn gross
+
moving up to a leader's salary
+
that salary already being one of the highest leader's salaries
=
fúck you