why don’t we bench mark our public sector against the public sectors within other European countries. with a focus on delivering a service to the real public.

Because the politicians try and buy votes from the public sector. Benchmarking to the Eurozone pay-scales needs to be introduced ASAP…

The basic cost of living in other countries is lower. Particularly fuel costs which affects the price of most goods. This is often forgotten when comparing wages and SW payments across EU.

Please qualify the statement ‘twice as much’. Twice as much as who? They have more breaks than Evil Kinevils legs.

What do you work at yourself Simon outta curiosity!

Because TD’s and ministers pay is linked to civil servants pay

Read the pay scale right, that’s a starting wage for a inspector. They are not frontline staff, only time a gaurd can get close to it is after 20+ years of service, and there are very few senior frontline staff left

I didn’t tar all public servants with the same brush. I said that GARDAI are massively overpaid compared to other EU Countries.

The Gardai receive 500 EUR a week. Teachers get 3 months holiday. In other EU countries, teachers are obliged to correct exams and they are paid less than teachers in Ireland.

500 per week does not equal 60k per year.

€500 a week also excludes allowances which add-up. The tax system is so high to keep the high paid Gardai. What will you do when the money runs out for the generous salary given to Guards?

ITS
You obviously not a very good student or troll. €500 per week is €26,000 pa. go troll elsewhere

Richard! €400 per week equates to €20800 per year. Haven’t a clue where you get €27000 from. I just hope to god you’re not teaching kids how to count.

Gavan , this is not a column on the pay of Gardai. To the point , does this statement mean that high income civil servants are fair game . If so , I’m for it. Please moderate a bit Gavan ( or , are you doing so against a strong tide of irrelevancy ?).

I agree Nurses work very hard and deserve their pay.

BUT, Gardai are paid far more and this is the problem.

Why is it a problem Joe!? They do a dangerous job 24/7…365!!

the public sector is ineffective, ineffective and doesn’t deliver the service that it’s primary function should be. why should we pay bloated salaries and benefits when most other countries can get far more for a lot less from their public sector.

People in McDonalds also work hard. That’s life. Stop this crap of oh the poor nurses.

A job they knew they were getting into. Not a reason for high pay.

Some people go into a particular knowing it will be shit thankless work, it’s call being duty bound where some people want to serve the public! Nobody plays make-believe as a kid as a Fireman, Nurse or Policeman dreaming of all the money they’re gonna make!!

Duty bound yeah right! Most gardai enter the gardai as they have little other options based on their academic record for a well paying job with security. Some, granted are excellent and do a great public service, most hate their job, and hate the organisation which is why they act out their frustration of the law abiding masses.

The greed and lazyness from the public sector amazes me. They would rather a few quid in their pockets and watch the Country fall over, than face the problems we all face as a Country. The facts are there, they earn more on average, but they want to hold the rest of the Country to ransom for something no one else gets. Beyond selfish. With Council standards slipping, Education standards slipping, the Health sector failing, why do these people think they deserve pay rises and golden hand shakes, just because it’s been there before doens’t mean it’s right. Because TD’s finddle their expenses does it mean they should continue…? The Public sector needs to take a step back, look at the bigger picture – it’s not just about you.

I will get in touch with the troika as recommended by another poster here. I now have the contact details for the troika. Since our politicians refuse to cut the fat, the troika must force them to do so. The ECB will be informed about the Irish public sector pay scale and I will request they intervene to force cuts to pay instead of cutting services.

Thanks to all the red thumbers for reminding me why I will do this!

ITS student, The greed and laziness from the public sector amazes you is it? You are a student and probably haven’t worked a day in your life yet. The public sector has more then TD’s and councils, It’s made up of nurses, doctors, teachers and Gardaí who work long hours when they don’t have too. I work in the public sector as a teacher and our school day starts at 9. 90% of our teachers are in the school before 8.00am and a few more are in before that. The school day finishes at 3.00 but most of us don’t leave until 5 or 6 and still have correcting and loads of paperwork to do when we go home or on the weekend. We have to do resources even buy resources out of our own pocket. And do we complain? No! So ITS Student trying getting your facts straight before calling us all lazy will ya.

Allowances allowances allowances plus overtime rapidly add up to 60k. If I’m wrong ask a flat foot or Sarge with 20 years licking a fried egg of his face to post his P60 online and then let us judge.

You also have several free periods to do this seemingly incredible amount of paperwork that we always hear teachers rolling out. Wow you actually work till 5pm. Poor you. No wonder you need 90 days annual leave.

Garda overtime isn’t part of a yearly salary! That’s why it’s called OVERtime!! Keep clutchin at it tho lad!!

Free periods?? When is this? I’m a primary school teacher, no free periods! Get your facts straight

@ Nuffsaid. So you are accepting I am right with the gross overall pay, regardless of how it is made up. Thank you. The prosecution rests.

@ Richard. Apologies, I wasn’t aware you were a primary school teacher. That begs the further question, what in gods name are you doing from 2.30 until 5.00 that requires you to do so much more work in the evenings and on weekends, especially considering the curriculum stays largely the same so you should be able to rinse and repeat a lot, plus you are not exactly preparing for a Harvard law lecture, its teaching kids the names of cloud formations and basic mathematics………plus as a primary school teacher, you get 100 days holiday a year, and you’re looking for sympathy. Come work in the private sector for a while or try getting a job teaching in Finland and see how far you get.

We put three children through school. I can assure you the majority of teachers left school at the same time as – some before – the pupils.

@ Simon
Well your weak arsed prosecution can rest all it wants, it has no merit!! Overtime is earned when people work in their own free time & get compensated accordingly!! It’s nothing to do with their agreed upon salary!!

“Prosecution rests.”

I’d say you really set the academic world alight with replies like that!! Suppose the world always needs burger flippers Simon!!

@Joe McGarry,

“The ECB will be informed about the Irish public sector pay scale and I will request they intervene to force cuts to pay instead of cutting services”

Public sector payscales are already published and in the public domain. You can find all the information you would ever want by googling “public sector payscales”. I am sure tha ECB are more than aware of how much the public sector are paid.

@ Nuffsaid, funny you should say that. I did work in McDonalds for 9 months flipping burgers 23 years ago. A great experience on how to work hard and treat customers who are only spending small money with maximum respect and to make them feel valued. Training I suggest that all our fine civil servants would be well advised to take.

Well said but the same goes for all emergency services from the fire brigade and ambulance crews that turn up to the most harrowing scenes and on to the nurses that dedicate their lives to help others.
The frontline folk are only as good as the folk in the background making things work.
I deal with these people on a daily basis through my work and have huge admiration for their professionalism.

biggins you got five thumbs down i did not know that bankers read the journal .

Ordinary people are facing property taxes to keep the overpaid public sector. Gardai receive salaries of €60,000 per annum plus allowances. In 2000, benchmarking was withdrawn and based on a sham system of ‘domestic inflation’.

Joe. I contacted the EU-IMF-ECB delegates to Ireland and personally asked them to pressure our government into cutting the overblown public sector. If you want their contact addresses, PM me.

Did you have to stand up before you pulled those figures out Joe?

The GRA’s figures on Garda pay might be helpful here.

http://www.gra.cc/payscales.shtml

Red arrows by the looney left brigade, but i have been there, witnessed it first hand and know exactly what i am talking about. Or is it a case that the truth hurts?

@ITS Student… I thought you are a SF supporter… if that’s not looney Left.. what is?

Those are the pre-paycut figures gavan.

Please give contact details of IMF – troika WBC as I would like to write too. Mac

Labour haven’t baled on this government Biggins because like the pathetic calibre of politician in this country, the dail seat matters most. When I think back to Gilmores feigned indignation on some issues while on the opposition benches, it sickens me. Transparency is nowhere to be seen, loyalty to us is equally absent…the only glimmer of hope is that we as a nation have finally woken up to them…our biggest problem now is what are the alternatives?

Have you any figures which show an average actually earned, including allowances and overtime?

Joe McGarry – Can you please post the facts on which your totally incorrect assertions in relation to Garda pay are based. You can’t because your totally incorrect. The Garda pay scales are public and anyone who takes the time to actually look at them will see that Gardaí do not get paid €60,000 a year plus allowances. Oh and take into consideration that when reading the pay scales they refer to pay before tax and levies and all other deductions which you seem to forget that Gardaí, nurses and teachers pay as well as the much loved private sector.

200 euro a week better off than who exactly? A teacher does about 6 years of college to get the job, a nurse does 4 years and starts on 22000 a year now, down from 26000 last year.Baseless assumptions, who are you comparing? An educated person to an ordinary line worker somewhere? Where are you getting these garbage figures from?

The average human has one testicle and 1.7 legs.

shorter working week?????? gardai work 6 days, 60 hours a working week. I think you need to back up your “average”, not a hope this is correct!!!!