Very well said ‘rant’

To be paying more in tax (tax, PRSI, USC) than taking home you’d have to be earning about 100k. A single person earning 35k pays about 21% in total taxes, a married couple with a single income of 35k would loose about 15% in taxes. Just some perspective.

Add pension levy

I can assure you – we earn nowhere near 100k – I am a primary school teacher and my husband is self employed. He pays crazy amounts of tax, you wouldn’t believe the amount of tax he would have to pay to give himself a good salary, he chooses to take less than he deserves (not a choice really) as he would be taxed too much and that would certainly result in him having to close the business and leave more joining the unemployment line! He on the other hand would get absolutely nothing from the government if he was left unemployed despite all he has paid to them!

For the self employed/owner directors the only difference is that you are not entitled to the PAYE tax credit of €1650. This one really bugs me as I am not entitled to it either and not earning a great deal at the moment, like many self employed. I even pay my tax through the PAYE system! An additional €1650 would be a great help at the moment. The commission on taxation recommended a change to this a few years ago, but so far no change.

Fair play to the the unions that have the guts to walk away from a deal that will decimate its members, they’re primary concern.is of their members, who, unlike jack O seems to be concerned only about his own melting pot, that he fears may dissipate if he goes with the sentiment of the majority of the public sector.., or should that be public servant… In the eyes of the government. They seem to believe that we choose to be subservient to the will of the greater powers ie. The government and should abide by the rules. And their rules only…, no matter how harsh they are. I seldom post here. But mr o connor sickens me to my bones, he has been almost mute in the past few weeks of discourse amongst the major unions dialog with the government, and today we finally find out why…. He is now and always has been in the pocket of the labour dictatarite and has now found himself flaying in the seams at the bottom of it and unable to get out because he has previously sewn himself into the tailor made labour/siptu overcoat!! Sorry for the rant. Just overwhelmed with the betrayel of siptu.

I’m also self employed and aside from the 1650 tax credit we don’t get, as PAYE workers we pay the same tax rate as everyone else. We pay a lot of tax but lets keep the figures factual. Nobody under €100k pays more tax then they take home.

All the tax you pay and nothing to show for it…
More medical cards than ever before
Higher unemployment benefit than ever before
Higher pensions (state that is)
freebies for pensioners (travel!!!?)
Motorways that didn’t exist (mostly) 20 years ago
Etc.

We have lots to show for it. Unfortunately we also have
Some PS sector earning too much
Lots of PS not working long enough (compared to private)
People in all sectors trying to find loopholes everywhere to look after themselves
Unions. .
Europe.
Ireland so wish to always be the “good guy” internationally. Never rocking boat.
Etc.

Without talking about specific figures – my point is we already pay too much tax and it seems to be the same people that keep getting hit, the most obvious pay cuts 2 me seem 2 be gov ministers but any cuts they do suggest for themselves are so insignificant they are insulting, not 2 mention their added extra’s. They are bleeding the country’s money pot dry and charging the ordinary person more tax 2 cover it! They always have their massive pension to look forward to aswell. If the country could afford it and they were actually doing something to improve matters then they can pay themselves whatever but to me it doesn’t add up at the moment.

“Higher unemployment benefit than ever before” – please explain

Declan. I am a frontline worker. This week I have had one day off (Thursday) I have been on duty all weekend. Do you think that I need to work more hours? Our overtime is compulsory. And contrary to what the Government would have you believe we don’t get paid double time for any of it. If I or any of my collegues are compelled to work Nights, Sundays or bank holidays as overtime we don’t get any extra payments above our normal overtime rate.
So don’t believe the spin that is being pumped out by the Government parties. We in the frontline don’t work in air conditioned Offices 8 to 5. Monday to Friday. We are on the Job 24/7. 365 days a year. We are the easy target because they (the Government) are afraid to go after the waste and fraud in Social Welfare because its to Politically sensitive.

The mob don’t like perspective, rationalism or actual statistics

If we don’t get this €1bn in savings I cannot see us leaving the bailout at the end of the year.

Then it’ll be the IMF implementing across the board cuts in Public Sector salaries. To be fair to the government they’ve set a decent threshold of €60,000 for the proposed cuts.

You had me before the “Social Welfare” comment.

David, have you thought about asking your organisation, young fine gael, to lobby your dear leader to stop handing billions out to unsecured bondholders while threatening to cripple a quarter of a million public servants for a fraction of that amount?

Course not. You’re up to your neck in the injustice befalling our nation.

Excellent putting a ceiling of €60k will the TD’s and ministers be on that also? Attention on PS workers , we are missing the point, allowance for TD’s to attend the Dail, allowance for travelling to the Dail. Who else gets an allowance to travel to work? Leadership by example, then no one can complain but until then!

Yeah, default on our debts they said.

Be grand they said.

Not once on this site has anyone given an ounce of thought to the immediate negatives of a default by Ireland. It’s all happily ever after.

I was forced to give up my job to stay at home and mind our daughters my wife has the better job and service i was been taxed to much my wages just about covered the cost of childcare as far as i am concerned i was taxed out of my job and god knows how many more

Ure not right in the head

Iceland defaulted and they are flying again. Not in the news though because that would show the world that they did the right thing.

As a Primary School Teacher what do you earn per WORKED hours.

Well said….” Animal Farm ” comes to mind yet again!

@Reg – 21% in TOTAL taxes? when you add up income tax, universal social charge, PRSI, Road tax, VAT, and now the property tax, I think you’ll find that it adds up to a lot more than 21%!!

Marie – yes we pay a lot more in other taxes but I was specifically referring to income taxes. Income taxes have increased quite substantially over the last few years but are still not high for most workers. Our income tax system is actually pretty progressive, those who earn the most, pay the most.

That’s the best comment yet.

O Connor is one of those people I class as a smoked salmon socialist

Every member of diptych who pays a subscription fee a percentage of that fee is donated to the Labour Party the workers party as we’re led to believe

Not diptych siptu damm auto correct

Couldn’t agree with u more

Too many of or Union leaders have become part of the establishment.

Ask yourself why these charges are coming? PS wage bill ring a bell? We need sustainable revenue to pay for a bloated PS.

Ah, paying for the mistake of the banks for like!!!

F**K Ireland and the rest of ye, I want to keep what I have and if everybody has to emigrate so be it, if others have to suffer cuts f**k em, I’m entitled to a higher standard of living, I have an agreement, I am immune.
You cant handle the truth.

Last man out can turn off the lights.

When you see varadkar, Bruton, cretin hayes and the other right wing fg shower pushing the agenda you know their is trouble WTF are labour lately. Have to ring John Lyons td tomorrow see what he has to say.

Varadkar really is a smarmy hatefull man. I am particularly looking forward to seeing the back of him.

I have built a giant catapult for launching varadkar Great Britain has brought an injunction that it cannot be fired from the east coast

Dead straight

I just hope if it comes to that, the stand will be against all austerity unfair property/water taxes and not just PS pay cuts, we all need to stand together!

No incoming party is going to abolish the property tax, it’s not going to happen.

Public service wages, for a lot of people, are far too high and the fact that increments still exist only highlight the fact that the union leadership are living on another planet.

For the love of god, will people start living in the real world. We are nothing like Greece and the situation there BUT we WILL become like them if reforms (YES THAT MEANS PUBLIC SECTOR CUTS) are not pushed through.

Jesus- job security and a 35 hour week! 35 hours for most people means they’ve had a day off.

Cliff, I’m a public sector worker.

My last shift was 24hrs long, and I’d worked 60 hours already this week before starting it.

My income is 40% lower than it would have been a few years ago.

Public sector workers have taken cuts and then some.

There are always outliers. It is the strategy of people resisting change to focus on these. While I have sympathy for the minority who take a disproportionate hit, I have no time for the vast majority in the middle who refuse to acknowledge the situation the country is in. There’s no money left. I don’t particularly like the government and I cannot stand the man in charge, but they are doing what needs to be done:

Reducing public sector spending
Introducing a property tax
Introducing a water tax

Let me ask you this- if a Government’s main focus is to keep power, why on earth would the current crop keep implementing taxes and reforms that are so unpopular the odds of getting a second term are basically zero???
Maybe it’s because they have no other choice, ever think of that? They don’t have a choice, and we don’t have a choice. We can’t default, we can’t devalue our currency, we have to cut spending.

I’m not an outlier, I’m one of the 5000 NCHDs who keep the country’s hospitals working, all slapped with multiple cuts and restrictions, together with the nurses and paramedics and physiotherapists etc etc who make up our frontline service.

Do you really think that the Irish people should take the full burden of private banking debt? To not at least fight for some responsibility to be taken by the ECB? Greece did not take the shit were currently taking and they were far worse! We proped up zombie banks who were essentially failed businesses to protect more private banking institutions. These were also potentially illegal deals so as a nation we should not be so ready to suck this austerity up. People have nothing left to give, public and private alike. This is not the time for penal taxes collected by revenue sheriffs like back in the dark ages to put the fear of good in people. I agree we need to balance the books and there are very well qualified professionals advocating alternative ways to do this.

Cliff I don’t know one frontline worker who works a 35hr week as for your argument of job security you must be an employers dream employee “here you go cliff your weeks wages a tin of dented Lima beans but don’t forget you’ve a job for life that’s, called job security” sarcastic pat on the head

Job security and a 35hr contract.
Hi. Lar. I. Us.
That is all.

Whilst I understand the public sector pay bill is too high and needs to be reduced, the main reason these unions and associations are walking away is not because they don’t understand this but because the manner in which it has been proposed to be done is targeting low to middle incomes and penalising those who work outside of normal hours for doing so whilst protecting the income of higher paid public servants who could afford the cuts. Exact figures were released of how allowances were proposed to be cut but has anyone heard exactly how incomes of 60k plus are to be targeted yet apart from it being suggested they would be there is nothing stating how

So you want to be superior to the rest of us then

No not superior at all, just as a public sector worker I feel the government feels it can treat us like pawns…….

I work for the people including you and I am proud to do it.
I just don’t want to work for peanuts!!

Well said cliona…..ps workers are just barley existing, we can’t take any more.

Cliona, I wouldn’t bother explaining myself to her. She is likely an FG loyalist. This country is screwed and all of us, Veronica included, need to stand together. If she and and her equals can’t see that well then nothing we can say will change that. I am a CPSU member and delighted they walked out. IMPACT and SIPTU need to follow suit.

That’s what the rest of us have to do, Cliona, what’s so special about you?

Well try doing something about it instead of sniping and fighting your fellow workers for the scraps from politicians tables. The great only look great because we are on our knees….

Ah sure everyone has an opinion but It’s small minded ignorant people who begrudge public sector workers of standing up for themselves and keep this country on its knees…..

If we all stand together maybe we can get somewhere!

I’d gladly take your job for the security it offers during times of economic recession. The public sector front-line staff are in the firing line now because the lower paid private sector employees have all but been annihilated. I’d much rather have had a safe public sector job over the last 5 years for the regular income and pensionable job for life than have had to emigrate, or wander the streets looking for work just to eat. Count yourself one of the lucky ones

Why didnt you apply for one in the good times so??

Made more money in the private sector perhaps???

The same said sector that caused the economic mess we are now in

Mix of private and public sector caused it! Why is everyone so mercenary?

Nobody stopped you choosing a public sector job…..

Indeed nobody did, just saying you are still relatively better off being a public servant than if you had to tough it out in the real world of the private sector. Without real solidarity this country was always going to be f**ked, all these walk outs and negotiations are 5 years too late, you should have pressured your Unions to undermine the bail out theft , a decision made by public servants which has caused this mess. Implying the private sector caused this mess is a useless argument.

Cliona- I’ve bad news for you. The company you work for is making a massive loss year on year. It’s unsustainable. One of its biggest costs is wages. In any other company there would be massive job losses. You’re lucky you’re not in one of those companies. Very lucky. Instead there’s going to be wage cuts across the board to reduce the wages which were unrealistically increased after industrial action during the Celtic Tiger. Sorry. We know its hard. There is no choice. Your company has no money. So really & truly you’re going to have to suck it up. If you really don’t like it exercise the same right as any other employee in any other “company” and move elsewhere to another company where you can get more money. Best Regards, the Irish Republic.

I have never said the private sector made this mess….
I was made redundant from a private sector job 5 years ago and then again in another position. I have seen both sides of the debate. I know how hard it is in the private sector and public sector.

United we stand divided we fall

Nobody stopped you choosing a job in the private sector

Dillon so you speak for the Irish Republic now?delusions of granduer or just plain nuts which?

@jenny- no, the Democratically elected Government of the Irish Republic does. Guess what their position is in relation to Public Service Cuts. I’ll give you a clue. See above. Do you understand the term “paraphrase” any better than “metaphor”?

Did i hit a nerve?so what position do you hold in government that you feel gives you the right to speak for all of us?

I think he forgets I am one of the ‘Irish republic’ and so are all of public sector workers!!! Fail

@ K Mart, the financial disaster was caused in Ireland by the fact of the gross failure of the Central Bank of Ireland, IFSRA, the Department of Finance, ESRI to ensure a sensible economic strategy, the blow the whistle on the property market madness and to ensure adequate prudential supervision of banks, building societies and insurance companies.

The public sector should not seek to scapegoat the private sector.

Please note the Guarantee of the 29th September 2008.

He’s obviously a Government lackey. Just tap on his name and open his twitter account. Billy no mates

Front line service workers are legally accountable for everything we do. We don’t have jobs for life, we have jobs for as long as we don’t make a mistake.
Get a grip man!

Also, verbally, sexually, physically harassed? It’s a lot of things, “lucky” isn’t one of them, ignorance really must be bliss, eh?

Dillon, I will refer to my earlier comment, these unions and associations did not walk out because they can’t understand the public sector spending bill needs to be reduced, they walked out because of the manner in which it was proposed in order to protect higher paid public servants

@jenny- no nerve hit, dear. As for knowing the Governments position….. I can read, Jenny. You should try it.

Eh, you might want to rethink that one Kmart….who caused this mess ??? Who let the banks do what they did ? Who gave the guarantee ?

Pay peanuts… Get monkeys… That’s the risk they play, I can be a good monkey ;-)

SIPTU are jack O’Connors puppets….. I just can’t stand him

Jack O’Connor – Labour’s loyal pup On 350k a year. Solutions exist?

I know he’s on six figures but I’m fairly certain it’s not as big as €350k

The INTO are surprisingly very quiet

No I think it will be SIPTU

Good man enda

@enda. ‘servant’ being the operative word!!! Brings to mind the idea of working for a pittance, being constantly available to your employer and being forever grateful for actually being employed!

I think his reputation is long gone along with his future in politics.

Gilmore will get his pension if he stays till april

Gilmore and co don’t give a toss because they’ll retire before the next election. Once they have their two years done and their ministerial pensions in the bag it’s adios suckers !

completely agree Aisling! Dont think Ive ever been so angry at this lot…. meetings usually make me angry as it is, but this is a whole other level now. If Paddy Power were taking odds on who would be left, guaranteed INTO-TUI-ASTI would have been odds on. As someone wrote the other day – its like taking sweets off a child, except the child willingly hands them over, along with a promise on handing over all future sweets it might get….

Give us a hint

Impact better leave. Disgraceful that they treat low paid people the exact same as high paid people.

@david Yeah, looking into joining CPSU tomorrow morning.

Funny thing is, I ain’t no fortune teller, but I threatened Bernard Harbour with that(leaving to join CPSU) in an email just before xmas.

@Pablo i was thinking the exact same thing. can we join any union or do we have to be in the one that the majority of the work place are in! im sick impact. They dont care about the people on low wages!

No you can join any union you want I think, give it a google on your lunch tomm

Idiocy. The absolute last thing this country needs and its fledgling recovery requires is industrial action. Disgraceful stuff by Public Servants. Traitors.

@ dillon. Please negate my thumbs up. Was meant opposite! Read my other post and u will. No why

Did I imagine it or was their a news feed on RTE.ie saying varadkar defends td pay and allowances, did I imagine it but can’t see it now HELP ME!

Angela- duly done. you were thumbs down number 19. Hope that makes you feel better.

Everyone, quick. Dillon is looking for some attention. Can anyone spare a few minutes?

It was their at 9 but gone at 10

Here ya go john

http://m.brne.ws/ireland/varadkar-politicians-have-taken-their-share-of-cuts-and-then-some-585975.html

As far as I know if you join a different union they may not have negotiating rights with your employer. I know someone I worked with years ago left Impact and joined another union but the Dept would not enter into any discussions as they only recognised Impact to negotiate on behalf of that particular grade. I’m not sure if that is still the position.

‘Traitors’? Lol. You’re nothing but a troll.

Ah Mike be nice ,Dillon feels he speaks for the Irish Republic as he stated in a comment further down the thread.

@jenny- you were standing up for Fianna Fáil in a different thread so what’s your point?

Mike- know how to spot someone devoid of the capacity to engage intelligently on here? So bereft are they of ideas they just call anyone they disagree with a troll. You know. Like you.

Don’t misrepresent me Dillon please and just speak for yourself,you don’t speak for the Irish Republic.

Oh, Jenny. Do you not like your Soldier of Destiny tendencies being exposed? Sorry about that.

@jenny- and as I pointed out to you below, I merely paraphrased the position of the Irish State as forwarded many times by its democratically elected Government. Either you don’t understand the concept of paraphrasing or you just opted to be a but silly. Can I just suggest its ok to be an intellectual lightweight but can I suggest this is a very public forum to be making it quite so obvious?

So now start the lies Dillon,can’t answer so throw muck instead,is that the default position of all government supporters or just you?

@Dillon can i just point out that you can use the ‘democratically elected government’ card when the government that was voted in broke so many promises. They did not do what exactly was said on the tin.

Under the old c&a rules only one union could represent a grade

@ Dillon, you seem to be quiet the intellectual , thank you so much for enlightening us challenged public……. Is what you’d like to read, however, you are a gob##### troll of the lowest denomination, attempting to preach to others your blatant uneducated views on matters you have a minimal grasp of. Be gone.

@David- Our constitution defines what constitutes a democratically elected Government- not you.

oh get a grip. you are pretty pathetic at this stage now,

@relevant- well, unlike you I can spell and employ basic grammar. I don’t think that makes me an intellectual, though. Thank you for your eloquent sentiments, nonetheless.

@david- testy, aren’t we? It’s not nice when mindless rhetoric is met with something more, is it?

I’ll let you believe that if it makes you feel better. :-)

Thanks David. That made my night

Article 40 of the same constitution also states that ALL citizens are to be treated equally ie no employer should be allowed to threaten to legislate paycuts regardless of whom the employer is

The only traitors are the people who created this mess in the first place and now expect ordinary working people to pick up the pieces.

You have to remember that no matter what is agreed by the unions will have to be voted on by the members, bit like turkeys voting for Christmas as the ole saying goes.

Exactly John, we have been sucking the proverbial you know what of Europe, forced in to a bail out Guaranteed junior bond holders who held Unsecured debt in order to prop up the euro. Gov has no money to pay public sector wages, yes they do, they choose to pay unsecured debt to bond holders who took a gamble knowing the risk and are now rubbing their hands with glee. Time to put things right, burn the junior bond holders and regain our economic sovereignty.

As much as I detest hypocrites like Liam Doran, I hope this is the beginning of the end for Endas Gestapo. Of course this could be exactly what the government want. It’s exactly 2 years tomorrow since the election, so the pensions are almost sown up. An excuse to walk away now would suit some of them down to the ground.

They will be undone by their lies and treachery!!

If Labour had any balls or even a shred of socialism left in them they would pull out of government now, and go before the people in an election with some credibility intact.. They haven’t and they won’t.

Doubt they are bothered yet. Unions gone only cover 60k members. As long as the bought off saps stay in government sound. Only His Royal Highness Jack O can really bother gov. Will he leave the gravy train????

60k frontline staff could bring the government down in a matter of weeks. When will people realise the power we have if only we would fight back! It’s 100 years since the Lockout. I really hope this is the beginning of another historic moment. We’ve taken enough.

couldn’t agree with u more….we have to stand up for ourselves

You should take a leaf out of your own book Martha.

Please elaborate opinion8d, I don’t quite understand your implication?????

Martha he’s just another government troll with a fake ID. Check his twitter account.

I’d seriously doubt ye were doing the same job. What ever they are doing for 40k in the private you are not doing for 30 and even if you were you fail to mention your job is for life. Your pension. Days off etc.

Hear hear! I am sick of people bashing the public sector as gravy train parasites – they conveniently forget that benchmarking was introduced to bring public sector pay into line with the private sector and that was a time when people in the private sector mocked the mugs in the public sector for staying in low paid dead-end jobs.
That turned when the crash came and the private sector were left high and dry and I say thank god for unions to protect workers pay and conditions.
I’m a frontline services worker although not working 24/7 as I’m a PHN. I went to the Tallaght rally last Monday in solidarity with our hospital and other 24/7 colleagues who are affected by proposed cuts to core pay via premiums and overtime.

How many hours a week do you get paid for, how many does your cousin get paid for? Your pension is better than theirs. Your job security is better too (not guaranteed, but better).

@Catherine Rotte-Murray. Benchmarking is like the upward only rent reviews, a fake manipulation of the economy. The money to pay your salary comes from the tax created by the productivity in the private sector. If you are going to claim benchmarking as a balancing tool, you would have to concede that it goes up when the economy is good and goes downward when its failing.
The Public Sector Unions should have walked out of any deals with the government the day they began bailing out the banks with public money, instead of seeing who is going to fall under the wheel of the austerity train before they decide to act.
Shame on the Unions for being complicit in this scam

Pension is a red herring used by IBEC and the like. When I retire the pension I get is a top up to half of my retiring salary. My low retiring salary I might add. At this moment in time it would be a top up of €45 a week. That is after 20 years of pension deductions and a further cut called pension levy. Not the gilt edged pension by any means. If you are going to throw opinion around get your facts right.

Veronica, if the public sector is such a great place to be working, why aren’t you there? I’m private sector and I’m not sneering and insulting people who deserve their pay! Gardai, nurses, firefighters, paramedics etc deserve every penny they get and if they get a decent pension (which they are paying dearly for) at the end of it good for them.

**top up to the state pension which.

I would like to add that the public sector pay taxes too which contribute to the economy and go to pay pensions – and the public sector workers have pension contributions deducted at source and we have no opt out from pension contributions. Plus we were hit with the pension levy some years ago.
To clarify to those who think public sector workers get gilt-edged pensions without putting a red cent towards them – a popular fallacy – we would get half our salary and a lump sum after 40 years service – most of us don’t have that; I certainly won’t and if I retire with 18 yrs I’ll be lucky, as i spent years outside the state working in development aid, so I’ll have max 18/40 years service which is equal to 9/40 of a full salary – I’ll get less than half the full pension or less than 1/4 of my salary.
As a frontline PHN my scales are on public record on INMO website – here’s the link:
http://www.inmo.ie/7554
And as I’m at top of my scale I’d get a wonderful €12,245.85 pension p.a. Inclusive of the state pension as I am paying PRSI at the higher class. As the state contributory pension is €230 p.w. this would equal €235.50 p.w. so that’s my gold plated pension for the begrudgers out there.

Job security and a better pension won’t pay the mortgage this month or next or the one after, it may have well got the mortgage to begin with but it has no purpose in paying it back on a monthly basis

Boom the people grow a pair

Good bye and good riddance. Now which party will abolish the property tax?? That will be the key to power.

No party will abolish property tax. Many might complain in opposition, but if they get into government they will realise that the money stream needs go be there. This walk out from talks is a shame. They will all be back in sooner or later, they will pull an all nighter, there Will be an agreement that every side will spin their own way. The final agreement will be like all of these….. A bit of give and take, enough for everyone to claim victory, and realistically not enough give or take to do a proper fix.

Labours way is the bloody highway!!!! Along with the Fg weeds.

And then who ???

I’ve voted labour my whole life, and am from a trade union family. I’ll be voting sinn fein/independent next time out. After 90 years of cronyism and cutehoorism from FF/FG, two cheeks of the same arse,, I’m willing to give them a go.

Sure sounds good. But who will take over.

Does it really matter Veronica? Things couldn’t be any worse! Not for me anyhow.

werejammin I was hoping that you would not mention Sinn Fein as a replacement to any government. As for independents, how could you get 150 + muppets to agree on anything ???
Things are indeed bad, but be careful for what you wish for.

Two cheeks of the same arse , brilliant

Matt 166 indie TDs (won’t happen of course) but only one of three replies to a vote yes/no or abstain.A concensus would from,groups would from.

If enough people don’t vote either FG or FF the rest will look after itself.

Siptu is wedded to Labour they won’t walk.

Could this be the golden opportunity for labour to pull out of government?

Never happen! like the greens they’ll cling to there fat salaries and expenses to the death! These are institutional career politicians whose only contribution to society is sneering and jibes in the Dáil during debate.

Of course they’re still in there. They threw the NQTs under the train and most of us can’t afford union membership. The no sub rule is easy for them to agree to. Emigration is now the only option. At least the drive to get five hours here and there is over.

Get over this we did not do this rubbish.
YES YOU DID
You and your unions were bought by Bertie and co with benchmarking and union slush funds.
Now ye have broke country time to give back

Either you are a troll or a complete muppet. Most public servants earn under 40k.

Billy, you got benchmarking during the boom cause your unions whinged the gap was too wide to private sector. You got your increases and we paid for it. Now its gone the other way, the private sector is earning less than the PS but you expect us to go on paying…

Benchmarking was a % increase which suited the high paid in PS not the low to middle ranks of which I belong to. Any gains achieved during benchmarking have been well reversed. As a clerical officer in 2008 I took home €40 per week more than I do now as a staff officer. That is after 4 minimal increments and a promotion. Now they want further cuts, longer hours and unpaid overtime. Get a grip. Fair enough if the cuts were to those at the upper end but as per usual it will be to those scraping by.

I will never understand how so many Buy into the Government and their lapdog of a media service called RTE. it should not be decide and conquer but alas it appears that people like you swallow the spin.

Not true. All my mates that work in the private sector still earn far and away more than me. All of the private sector mates I had that were in construction earned astronomically more than me during the boom. Some are now on the dole and still working

And you think it’s ok for them to claim dole and work?

How is it the job security that comes with being a public servant is never factored into their wages? Ask anyone in the private sector how much of a wage cut they’d take to have a job for life.

R u on drugs or what?

Dillon, as someone who is legally accountable for every prescription I put my signature to, for every note I say “patient does not need intervention”, I can tell you that it takes one single, solitary mistake to blow your “job for life” myth out of the water.

Actually it is factored in.

I notice Billy Maher told is what salary was in 2008 when crash hit and all he has lost is 40 PW.
Why not say what pay was pre benchmarking. About 2002
And an annual pay rise is a pay rise. What bull should be 36k. Mine should be 100k just have to wait till I am 150 years old to get it. Lol.

@ Angela. I am now certain you are a muppet. You pick what you want from comments. I was lucky enough to have been promoted which saw an increase in my wage. Clerical staff are taking home less now than they did in 2005/2006. Many of my colleagues are in receipt of Family Income Supplement. But i suppose that is ok to you. If further cuts are imposed then that will drive wages down to 2003 levels. But I am sure this will both excite and delight you. The ‘rather them than us’ attitude. Why don’t you just accept that PS bashing, while popular, is wrong. The cause of all this is our inept Government and the banking sector. Pity your energy isn’t put into attacking them.

O’Rielly, give it a rest will ya!!! Your forgetting that a huge amount of us in the public sector would have worked worked in the private sector before joining. Unlike the vast majority of those in private sector who obviously have no experience in the public sector. Except the huge generalisations they’re happy to go along with

I remember way before I joined the job I worked in a call centre doing a handy nine to five, five day week!! Handiest job ever!!!y take home was €1600. That was in 2002.

I now do a six day week ten hours a day work till seven in the morning and do weekends with three weekends out of ever ten off…

My take home is now 2400 a month!!! Give this rubbish a miss will ya. The job I did then had no dangers. I didn’t have to wear a stab vest to go into work, I sat on my arse all day with a computer dialling numbers for me and spouting off a load of rubbish… I got €1600 a month plus bonuses for that compared to what I do now….

In anyone’s language that’s bloody wrong!!!!!

Where were the public servants that were paid to monitor them. Financial regulator and Dept. of Finance loosing money down the back of the couch

I presume we are under pressure from the ECB to repay the bank debts which were run up during the Bertie era.

Hit the ball on the head there Michael, those seven series BMWs don’t run themselves

“There” should be “their”.

Silly comment. Would you prefer what we have at the moment, to use your slice analogy, the wealthy getting all of the slices except one, and using the media to turn ordinary people against one another to fight over the last slice?

I’d prefer everyone to pay 15% flat tax with graduated tax credits. They’d diminish the more u earn.

And why wouldn’t they. The NQTs have taken the hit for them. They’ll be getting a nice pat on the head for this. What I don’t understand is where do they think their new members will come from? They just don’t care. It defies logic what the teachers unions are doing to the newly qualified. Save their drinking buddies. And don’t get me started on the government and their bullshite employment policies.

Peter I am experiencing austerity measures since CP1 as are many many other ppl in whatever job they have whether it be public or private sector. All I am saying is I cannot afford to give anymore.

If I’m made to give more then there goes my house cos I won’t be able to pay the mortgage.

Don’t be so silly unions are opposed to austerity. Who signed croke park. Who got government to introduce pension levy so they could claim pay cut while retired people’s ( pensions tied to current salary) pensions where untouched.
If you want to see right wing conservatism check out Jack o Connor and David Beggs work around the social partnership table with Bertie when things were good. Not much left wing then.

The People Are Now The Opposition.

Oh lets get it on. The government have bullied me and the rest of the public sector for the last time .They want a gathering, we ll give them a gathering, on the street
#frontlineallaince

If only a lot more had that idea Mark ,Well said.

I somehow doubt it, like all others said its about time this lame duck government faced reality

Very well said

Frontline workers on the ground have had enough and want be bluffing if cuts are targeted at us that are not part of the majority of public service because of the nature of our work but puts us in a minority when voting and if siptu have done a deal cutting shift and allowances that are our basic wage then we will be out on a picket line and that was the opinion of all my colleagues in our area.

If that’s all they cut David, I’ll protest by your side

David Lounge there’s half a million to replace you David ,

come on folks, seriously…orchestrated for the 9 o clock news.

The last thing frontline wants is to withdraw labour but our work has a value and if you think working nights and bank holidays should not be rewarded by an allowance which is crippled by tax then you are welcomed to do it

@Cat, half a million have a diploma in each of peri operative nursing, midwifery and advanced prescribing? Along with a masters and a PhD in Anaesthetics?
That’s great to know.

lol is like to see them try, do you think that will work?

…..followed by strikes.

It will have too. Talking hasn’t.

Legislation won’t, fair legislation could have happened 3 years ago. Gone too far, people are seriously annoyed. Strikes like have never been seen before in this country are on the cards. Government will fall. Europe will have to take notice, or as someone said in an earlier post we will have a Greek summer, could bring down Europe. They DO not want that

Won’t be long before the public get seriously annoyed too. PS are taking support for granted. They want private sector to continue paying through borrowing for a bloatedPS?

Crap

I’m private sector more than willing to support my fellow citizen in the public sector.

“It will have too. Talking hasn’t.”

Why should it? Telling unions they have to cripple people to save a billion over 3 years and then the next day the government pays 1.8 billion to unsecured bondholders?

I’m amazed its taken them this long to walk from this farce.

One way it another cuts have to happen. If the gov fell tomorrow and FF, SF, anyone got in, their first call would be to troika asking what they should do. We can’t afford our PS. We don’t need it this big. And Europe will not lend to prop this up. Then we’re all up shit creek. Private sector have taken enough already…

‘It won’t be long before the public get annoyed”

We are the public, ps workers are sticking together. Who cares what you smarmy private sector think. We’ve had enough cuts and can’t take any more. It’s simple really, strike!

True colours there Ryan. F*#k the 460,000 unemployed and the many more with the axe waiting to fall. That smarmy private sector pay your bloated wages. Your a disgrace.

Actually, they don’t!! I’m sick of this myth that if you in the private sector you pay up wages bull!!

It’s only true if your in the private sector of exports or tourism. They are the only industry’s that actually generate revenue into the country.

In other words, if your an accountant, engineer, work in Supervalue or Supermacs and I pay you for your services and then in turn you pay tax which inevitably finds its way back in my pocket to go back out again and on and on it goes. You and I are part of a financial circuit that has an income and an expenditure… Unless your in exports or tourism then you DO NOT generate my wages… You simply help me spend it.

The only exception to this rule is EU Funding IMF etc.

What happens if I work for companies who export??

D.Ryan- cant help but remember all those public servants clogging up the roads across the border on the days they were allegedly on strike. Remember that? Whose wages were they paying with all the taxes they were happy to send to the British Exchequer?

Ryan, no need for that, I’m private sector and I’m supporting you guys! Please don’t insult those who ARE supporting you!