Sir, – Here is another option the Government could have taken instead of cutting public service pay for the third time.
First, based on 2011 tax returns a higher tax rate for those earning over €100,000, of 55 per cent would yield €525 million, 60 per cent would yield €820 million and 65 per cent would yield €1.1 billion.
Second, extend the public service pension levy to bailed out bank workers (remember AIB plugged their pension fund with €1.5 billion of taxpayers’ money which was set aside for re-capitalisation), semi-state workers and Nama employees.
Third, reduce the costs that are paid to special advisers and private consultants who are milking it from the public purse; and cap legal and professional fees.
The Croke Park extension is another attack on ordinary hard-pressed public servants.This is a political decision, plain and simple, made by Fine Gael and facilitated by Labour and the unions. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin tells public sector workers, “This is the last ask . . . we will not be coming back again” (February 26th). He should have added the rider, “unless we have to”. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – It now transpires that the recently proposed cuts in the Croke Park agreement will bring a new entrant consultant salary in Ireland to a level lower than nearly every other English-speaking country in the world.
It seems that a cut of 30 per cent only four months ago, on top of the previous 10 per cent deduction isn’t quite enough.
So much for equity and fairness! – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I work in the public sector at assistant principal grade, the payscale for which currently starts at about the €65,000 pay cut threshold proposed by the Labour Relations Commission. Such a cut will result in my net salary being reduced by more than 30 per cent cumulatively since 2009.
It is worth remembering that many people at this grade are in their 30s, many have young families, and many bought houses at the peak of the property bubble and are thus trapped in negative equity paying very large mortgages on houses worth over 50 per cent less than their purchase price. To add insult to injury, the agreement now proposes to eliminate leave under the flexitime scheme for assistant principals.
It is very glib commentary (Editorial, February 26th) to assert that the deal is “fair and balanced”. – Yours, etc,