Specific austerity measures in public sector to balance budget

[patslatt]

The Irish government hates to impose austerity on the civil service since ministers and politicians are surrounded by them all day, as Eoghan Harris said on the radio yesterday.

This is different from the situation in the USA and Canada. Many US states must balance budgets and use civil service redundancies to do so. In Ontario, Canada civil servants do not have job tenure and for the first time ever in the mid-1990s, large scale layoffs were in the thousands.

On its present course,the Irish government will offset the growing deficit from falling tax yields largely by borrowing for a time,a dangerous expedient at a time of massive international borrowing by the US and other big countries and by giant corporations.Inevitably, it will be warned strenuously by the ECB and the EU Commission to cut back on huge percentage budgetary deficits. Then if it is to avoid a massive recession or even a depression in the private sector from increasing taxes,the only feasible strategy will be to cut public sector bloat that has accumulated in over a decade of high spending.

Specific measures could include

1. A total freeze on public sector pay for two years beyond the end of the present Social Partnership agreement.

2. Big pay cuts in the pay of the top civil servants on over €80,000 a year.

3. A freeze on new public sector employment and a strenuous programme to fill vacancies by reallocating workers between departments to make up for shortages.

4. Modification of pensions benefits for all new recruits should they reach the highly paid end of the pay scale,possibly with introduction of defined contribution plans for maybe half of the final pension.

5. Voluntary redundancies coupled with compulsory redundancies where necessary in the HSE and other sectors rated inefficient.

6. Reduction of FAS's billion budget in half to prevent systemic waste.

7. Cuts in infrastructure spending that has little productivity to contribute eg Metro vanity project could be replaced by spending on humble bus services in Dublin.

To provide some balance,the private sector could see further temporary three year tax increases on the highest earners, with a three year tax sunset clause designed to limit a fall in their consumer spending.

[elfatih]

agree with all your points except the redundancies, it would cost millions just to get rid of a few public servants.
Reduce the 'overlooked' 7 uncertified sick days in HSE to 1 or 2 days and then bang heads with GP's who write spurious sick certs for hse staff for ailments such as stress just because the staff member has been asked to do an extra task each day.
This would increase by thousands the staff working in the HSE each day, then allow natual wastage to get rid of the excess staff

[Kevin Doyle]

agree with all your points except the redundancies, it would cost millions just to get rid of a few public servants.
Reduce the 'overlooked' 7 uncertified sick days in HSE to 1 or 2 days and then bang heads with GP's who write spurious sick certs for hse staff for ailments such as stress just because the staff member has been asked to do an extra task each day.
This would increase by thousands the staff working in the HSE each day, then allow natual wastage to get rid of the excess staff

So you are more qualified than a GP to diagnose stress?

Seriously, the public sector bashing on this forum is becoming completely hysterical.

[Macy]

as Eoghan Harris said on the radio yesterday

We could start with getting rid of unelected senators only there because of political favours done.

[PhoenixIreland]

Oh my ******************************g jasus christian ******************************g god!!!!!!!!

Would you people please give it a ******************************g rest????

If I promise to go on hugar strike until the public services are abolished will it shut people on this site up?
I'll do anything, just make it stop, for the love of god, make it stop!

[HarshBuzz]

Oh my ******************************g jasus christian ******************************g god!!!!!!!!

Would you people please give it a ******************************g rest????

If I promise to go on hugar strike until the public services are abolished will it shut people on this site up?
I'll do anything, just make it stop, for the love of god, make it stop!

Phoenix, there's a very good reason why this theme bears repeating

we cannot afford our public sector in its current guise and radical measures will have to be taken to trim billions of euro off it

now away and see 'Hunger' in the flicks - remember not to bring in popcorn, that would be insensitive

[Kevin Doyle]

We could start with getting rid of unelected senators only there because of political favours done.

Get rid of them all, cut the numbers of Juniors MInister by two thirds, slash 10% off the Salary of a TD, 20% for Ministers, 25% for the Tainiste and Taoiseach. Vigerously root out all junkets and slash expenses in the Public Service. Remove the office of the President. Cut the number of TDs to 100, Sack all county managers and return power to the County Councils. Raise taxes progressively with punitive taxes for the wealthy. Scrap co-location or remove the tax incentives. Scrap all vanity so-called civic projects. Tackle rip off Ireland and the soaring cost of living here by strict regulation in all markets. Scrap the ER and allow the ESB to operate as a Semi State body indefinately. Renege on the deal done with Shell in Corrib and nationalise the operation under Bord Gais or insist at the very least on taxing Shell to the international norm.

Then, tackle Public sector numbers and pay.

[leroy42]

Big pay cuts in the pay of the top civil servants on over €80,000 a year.

What is this based on? On numerous threads, posters come up with different cut-off points for big pay cuts etc. Why are big earners being treated differently? If these are the rates required to employee these workers then that is what is required. If they are too large then by all means reduce the pay, but I would hazard a guess that the too high wages runs throughout the public service.

The top civil servants (I am not in the civil service so forgive me for not having details) are probably under the same pressures that top workers in private companies are. Are we trying to say that we should pay public workers X% less than the private sector (the whole package of pay & pensions being taken into account).

Just for a moment lets see what happens if we run with this knee jerk action. Top earners told of reduced salaries. Good ones decide to move onto other jobs. Bad ones remain. Under qualified workers are promoted to take their place. Now we have underqualified and underskilled workers making the decisions. Sounds like a real winner!

Wastage is not just the property of the higher earners. Look at many higher earners and you will see that they work well beyond the stated hours, take less sick days etc. Simply stating that someone who has done well for themselves should not be targeted is ridiculous. It does not foster an attitude of hard-work, as based on this as soon as you make it you will be brought back down again.

There are many in the public service who do a very good job. Many improvements in the way that things are run. There are also many areas which need close attention and remidial action. But that is the same in industry.

[HarshBuzz]

Get rid of them all, cut the numbers of Juniors MInister by two thirds, slash 10% off the Salary of a TD, 20% for Ministers, 25% for the Tainiste and Taoiseach. Vigerously root out all junkets and slash expenses in the Public Service. Remove the office of the President. Cut the number of TDs to 100, Sack all county managers and return power to the County Councils. Raise taxes progressively with punitive taxes for the wealthy. Scrap co-location or remove the tax incentives. Scrap all vanity so-called civic projects. Tackle rip off Ireland and the soaring cost of living here by strict regulation in all markets. Scrap the ER and allow the ESB to operate as a Semi State body indefinately. Renege on the deal done with Shell in Corrib and nationalise the operation under Bord Gais or insist at the very least on taxing Shell to the international norm.

Then, tackle Public sector numbers and pay.

there's an awful lot of proposals up there that I agree with

can you please enumerate the expected cost savings from each one?

[Kevin Doyle]

Phoenix, there's a very good reason why this theme bears repeating

we cannot afford our public sector in its current guise and radical measures will have to be taken to trim billions of euro off it

now away and see 'Hunger' in the flicks - remember not to bring in popcorn, that would be insensitive

Public sector reform is onging.

The problem here is if you let ideologues like Patslatt wield the axe the reaction from the Public Service would be swift and devastating. The Government will borrow what it needs and cut what it can cut to the best of its ability, it will not react like a lunatic with a machete because you keep bawling that we can't afford it. You can rumble on about not being able to afford it infinitum, the fact remains, we have to, for the time being.

Nothing you can do or say will prevent that HB, I'm afraid there will be no Saul conversion in that regard by the Government based on any surities you seem to think exist.