The people at the top of the pie are pretty much all closely linked in with either Lab. FF or FG. Neither of those parties will hurt their friends, they all see the taxpayer as a means of enriching themselves and their family and friends. Better to target the plebs at the bottom that will keep voting for them either way.

Howlin is a former trade union official, in a party founded and funded by the trade union movement.

So do not fret if you’re a trade union member. The Liberty Hall lads have their man in charge of ‘reform’. You’ll be fine.

he looks like he is telling somebody where the dole office is .

Agree with you completely. Problem is that our system has ensured that the people most affected by this change are the ones we are relying to implement it. Thats why front line staff get hit all the time. The high up, over paid, embedded public servants are not going to put their own feathered nest at risk

Labour has to get votes from somwhere.

Go ahead Brendan! Bankrupt the country completely. Force a default. I don’t care, cause I’m skint anyway. It can’t be any worse for ordinary people. We are all used to begging or stealing to survive!

27 bankers on more than than ?500,000 but its the gardai and nurses that are bankrupting the country?

A valid point sham. But if you cut these 27 bankers pay completely we save just over 15million. If we cut all PS pay by 1% we save over 10 times that. Nit saying we should do that. But let’s not be petulant and reactionary either.

60 men, who were regular attendee’s of the Galway tent over the last years hold half of the mortgage debt in this country. They are looked after by Min. Lenihan’s NAMA where everyone else in the country, as Bertie said, can go hang themselves and it’s the nurses, teachers and the cleaners, especially the cleaners, that have us where we are. Jesus truly wept.

Wow, said by someone appropriating the photo and name of a dead man. Classy

at least i dont look like a fish you muppet!

a dead man but a man that had more class in his little finger than that idiot howlin, pity he’s not around today he would have ran the little rat

I’m afraid you don’t know what he would have done in this situation, but I would hope that any argument he would have wouldn’t need to use personal insults. It would nice if you could have a little bit more respect for someone that has died, rather than trying to garner some credibility from assuming his identity and arrogantly assuming what he would or would not do.

I actually can comment what he would have done in this situation as we are related and his photo is in honour of the great man, Id say the lads in the pub in Tralee think your a great wit with your one liners but if thats the height of your imput try bebo or facebook, be a bit more suited to your intelligence level

@Frank. He is a fool, but a fool who thinks he’s smart and that is the most dangerous type. Also, the figures mentioned as having being saved are false. The method of calculation is unbelievable and dishonest. Scrap it now and re-negotiate.

Which makes it even less respectful and quite sad really. I also have dead relatives, but I wouldn’t go around putting words in their mouth. From your comment about the pub in tralee, it looks like the assumptions you make about your much admired and loved relative are extended to complete strangers as well.

Goes into a negotiation with 2 massive concessions instead of a list of demands. Does he understand which side of the table he’ll be sitting?

I’m sorry, but two concessions? Oh sorry, you mean what private sector workers consider “basic pay”.
I’m a nurse, I have 11 years of diverse experience in diverse environments. I am highly qualified, I have a masters, a PhD, I am qualified as a nurse, midwife, ANP, in surgery, ICU, and ED. I can lead an arrest, I can prescribe medication, and I can work independently of a doctor.
Explain to me now why I should be paid the same as a nurse who has 11 years of experience, but only a general rank? Because that is the issue that is at hand here.

Also, I work a minimum of 60 hours a week for which I may or may not get paid depending on the mood of the payroll department. I’ll start working for free, shall I? Would that make you happy?

your can’t be a nurse, your a man aren’t you?? I’m confused….

Front line services are not the issue

they may not be the issue Jay, but that’s who gets the shitty end of the stick each time

They are because most allowances are paid to front line workers.

I get the princely sum of €10.61 extra for working a 12 hour shift on a Saturday as a frontline Paramedic. That works out at €0.88 an hour. That’ll cure the economy alright if he takes it away. I said it before, and I’ll say it again…….when are the workers and taxpayers of this country going to stand together instead of this Public/Private issue? Don’t forget, they live in their ivory towers while me and you pay for it!!

@ James Connolly

You must have been a perfect fit for Mother Teresa’s sandals then

James, I never mentioned anything about increments or allowances.

The two concessions I referred to were:
1. Salary
2. Compulsory Redundancies

We can’t afford the overall pay, and voluntary redundancy by definition is not the best way to improve staff utilization – better to be able to push the small weak minority out based on performance

As it happens, I think increments should be protected. I earn more than a junior in my line of work, as it should be as I bring more experience.

My main point, however, was that Howlin (and by extension, the government) are going into this negotiation without the threat of paycuts and mandatory redundancies – which should very much be on the table to get the unions acting in both the interests of services and employees, instead of just trying to protecting salary and conditions. By keeping this negotiating position, an agreement can be drawn up with definitive consequences.

#John the baptist: Is that your default nurse joke?

The reason they will never ever stand together because the public sector think their entitled to the wage regardless of economic climate and by public sector i mean everyon ie politicians right the way down before the nurse and firemen start the rants off

I know, it’s crazy what Obama gets paid. Imagine spending $852,900,000 to get a $400,000 a year job for four years.

Obama bla bla bla. What he get’s paid has SFA to do with anything.

Your always very positive adebayo, too many pessimists not enough optimists.

Someone disagrees with Lab policy their a hater?ok makes perfect sense.

I suppose now that Gilmores wifes 117k is secured its ok to cut nurses pay?

The only thing that’s obvious is your inability to read. It’s there in the BIG WORDS at the top…Also known as the headline.

Good Idea………How about we sack all the public servants and replace them from the dole thereby solving the public servant and unemployment issue in one go.

How. Unless we can sell it as a “how not to negotiate” lesson?

Make sure you do it all at once….. no shortage of trained Garda, Firefighters, Paramedics, Doctors, Nurses,…………………….. Actually, it’s a stupid idea.

@ Mursh…. You must be public servant or on the scratcher yourself if your able to respond so quick, either way we’re paying for you to do nothing all day

Do you want your .50c a year back?

No we voted for them based on their manifestos which got thrown out when they got in.Government is supposed to work for all of society not just one protected sector,or am i missing something?