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PUBLIC SECTOR (AND OTHER) PAY TALKS
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A spokesperson for the Civil Service, in answer to outraged criticism, stated that the 40% earnings differential between the Public Sector & the Private Sector represented the fact that Public Sector workers weremostly highly educated University Graduates.
No mention of the added value of the work carried out.
No mention of the Top-Hat Pensions – a substantial amount of which is funded by Private Sector Taxes, allocated as 1% of GDP annually.
One might ask what attracts these clever Graduates into the Civil Service?
An Organisation, rarely regarded as one that rewards creativity; individualism; entrepreneurial skills; original thinking or the manifest requirements for success and advancement in the Private Sector.
Could it possibly be the 40% extra for no apparent added effort? the Fat, Index-Linked Pensions? the Job For Life? the holiday leave? leave to attend endless courses?
Even annual sick and maternity leave?
The protection of Bertie Ahern, Begg & O’Connor & their bloated Unions?
IT MIGHT BE A REASON!
Does this mean that other pay differentials might be down the same thing like the difference in gender pay? And so can employers claim the reason for the gap is that the lads all did courses?
No.
The spokesperson for the Civil Service was trying to reply to criticism. It was not necesarily a statement of fact, any more than the utterances of politicians are anything other than a reply to pointed questions.
But there is to be an Election within the next year and the serious issues of the day are not being debated.
A vocal number of left-leaning students will continue to pontificate, endlessly, but offer no solutions either. Talk for its own sake.
“MORE MATTER WITH LESS ART.” (WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE)
The opposition posits the problems and state that they will bring forward solutions.
But they never spell out their solutions, so how can we judge whether they are a good bet, even each way?
They have identified their stated major issues – not necessarily in order of how they might prioritise them (an error of judgement). They are as hereunder:-
Health
Education
Crime
Waste of public money.
Let us take the Waste issue.
Will they reduce Government to, say, one TD per 100,000 of population (a reasonable representation) – a Dail of 40 TDs & a substantial saving of resources.
Will they reduce the Public Sector? By a similar ratio?
Will they make civil servants & politicians contribute to their Pensions? 50/50?
Will they stop Political Donations? Vital if we are to have transparency.
Will they reduce the number of Pensions TDs receive? Say to one per TD? Same as us?
Will they curtail overseas visits by TDs & Councellors; Senators etc.?
Will they streamline the Planning Processes to fast-track infrastructural programmes and stop paying objectors, like Vincent Salaria, their vast Supreme Court legal fees?
These are but a few obvious areas for reform, which are possible, unlike Health; Education & Crime, which will continue to bedevil Government until there is Trade Union reform.
What have Labour to say about reform?
What will Fine Gael do to curtial the wasteful tactics of the Public Sector Trade Unions?
Why is RTE not pursuing Beverly Flynn for what she owes? As an undischarged bankrupt, she would be ineligible to stand for parliament.
An opportunity for the opposition to stand a candidate in Mayo.
More pertinently, why is the opposition not pressing for a semi-state body to recover taxpayers’ money wasted on legal fees?
We need an Action Programme – sufficiently detailed to persuade the voters that change is possible; that reform can be carried out.
Not weasel words & vague promises of better things to come.
10% AND RISING!
Whatever chance there might have been for moderation has been sunk by Turlough O’Sullivan.
As IBEC Chief, he has bowed to his biggest benefactors, the ones that keep his flawed organisation in funds – to pay his bloated wages & expenses – ESB- Aer Lingus – DAA –
Bord Gais – Bord na Mona – DublIn Bus – Ianrod Eireann & Irish Telecom.
And who ultimately pays? In increased Electricity charges; travel costs; telephone; gas?
YOU.
AND BEGG IS STILL CALLING FOR MORE.
Time to call Time.
This stupidity should add another percenatge point to Irish Inflation, bringing it to 4.8%.
IS ANYONE CONCERNED ENOUGH TO TAKE REMEDIAL ACTION?
Maybe Employers in the unsheltered sector – the Real Private Sector – should consider withholding PAYE until Ahern comes to his senses; before he plunges the Celtic Tiger into recession.