IT highlights the wage gap between public and private sector

[HanleyS]

Public utility workers earning an average of €70,000 a year

Craft, production, transport and other manual workers in public utilities did not fare badly either. In the final quarter of 2007, some 3,800 public utility workers in these occupations earned gross pay of €1,442 for a 43.6-hour working week, including average overtime of 5.8 hours.
...
Manual and craft workers in public utilities are earning more than twice as much as similar workers in manufacturing. Where manual and craft workers in public utilities were earning weekly pay packets of €1,442 [S:~€75,000] in the final quarter of 2007, the 138,900 manual workers in manufacturing were making ends meet on average weekly earnings of just €624. The average hourly earnings commanded by manual workers in public utilities, at €33.06, were twice as high as the €16.35 hourly earnings of manual workers in manufacturing during the fourth quarter of 2007.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/financ ... 91119.html

[patslatt]

Public utility workers earning an average of €70,000 a year

Craft, production, transport and other manual workers in public utilities did not fare badly either. In the final quarter of 2007, some 3,800 public utility workers in these occupations earned gross pay of €1,442 for a 43.6-hour working week, including average overtime of 5.8 hours.
...
Manual and craft workers in public utilities are earning more than twice as much as similar workers in manufacturing. Where manual and craft workers in public utilities were earning weekly pay packets of €1,442 [S:~€75,000] in the final quarter of 2007, the 138,900 manual workers in manufacturing were making ends meet on average weekly earnings of just €624. The average hourly earnings commanded by manual workers in public utilities, at €33.06, were twice as high as the €16.35 hourly earnings of manual workers in manufacturing during the fourth quarter of 2007.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/financ ... 91119.html

No surprise here. The public sector's primary function is to provide high paying,lifetime employment for its employees.

[tonys]

Public utility workers earning an average of €70,000 a year

Craft, production, transport and other manual workers in public utilities did not fare badly either. In the final quarter of 2007, some 3,800 public utility workers in these occupations earned gross pay of €1,442 for a 43.6-hour working week, including average overtime of 5.8 hours.
...
Manual and craft workers in public utilities are earning more than twice as much as similar workers in manufacturing. Where manual and craft workers in public utilities were earning weekly pay packets of €1,442 [S:~€75,000] in the final quarter of 2007, the 138,900 manual workers in manufacturing were making ends meet on average weekly earnings of just €624. The average hourly earnings commanded by manual workers in public utilities, at €33.06, were twice as high as the €16.35 hourly earnings of manual workers in manufacturing during the fourth quarter of 2007.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/financ ... 91119.html

No surprise here. The public sector's primary function is to provide high paying,lifetime employment for its employees.

It would certainly seem so, it has to end and sooner rather than later.

[Cookie68]

This crusade against public sector staff smacks of misdirected begrudgery. During the boom years public servants are laughed at because they tend to be risk averse and have to pay all their taxes.

Then along comes a downturn and the guys who no longer have the same thick wads of grubby cash down in the pub are suddenly jealous.

[HanleyS]

This crusade against public sector staff smacks of misdirected begrudgery. During the boom years public servants are laughed at because they tend to be risk averse and have to pay all their taxes.

Then along comes a downturn and the guys who no longer have the same thick wads of grubby cash down in the pub are suddenly jealous.

So all private sector workers are tax evaders?

[Ronanr]

The quoted article in the OP is not much good in comparing workers in either sector.

It is comparing "craft and manual workers" in the public utilities with "manual workers" in manufacturing.

How can we tell what proportion of the workers in the public sector are craft worker and what are manual workers?

You could be comparing apples and oranges, for all we know.

A better comparison would be with craft workers workers in the Irish utilities with craft workers in the privatised utilities in the UK or with similar worker in French utility companies.

[Cookie68]

This crusade against public sector staff smacks of misdirected begrudgery. During the boom years public servants are laughed at because they tend to be risk averse and have to pay all their taxes.

Then along comes a downturn and the guys who no longer have the same thick wads of grubby cash down in the pub are suddenly jealous.

So all private sector workers are tax evaders?

....and all public servants are overpaid and inefficient?

I've worked in both so I'm not partisan.

There seems to be a view out there that the staff of the various public services, which serve the public through good times and bad and impartially from one government cabinet to the next, should always earn less than those employed in private enterprise. This study isn't necessarily comparing like with like.

My 'misdirected' comment relates to the legions of self-employed who did well during the last ten years but may not have been entirely truthful about their earnings with the Revenue Commissioners.

[de knowledge economy]

Could someone explain this overtime to me? When I worked as an engineer for a multinational you were given tasks to
perform and if you were slow or cocked up you stayed back working to acomplish your objectives.

[Cookie68]

Could someone explain this overtime to me? When I worked as an engineer for a multinational you were given tasks to
perform and if you were slow or cocked up you stayed back working to acomplish your objectives.

I don't earn overtime either but I'd expect that if I were, say, called on to work through the night to restore electricity to half of Donegal I'd be paid extra and not just at the same rate I'd get during the day.

[de knowledge economy]

don't earn overtime either but I'd expect that if I were, say, called on to work through the night to restore electricity to half of Donegal I'd be paid extra and not just at the same rate I'd get during the day.

If your job is to provide electricity to half of Donegal why you expect to be paid extra for the few days in the year there is a storm. It is part of your duties