Sir, - It is with considerable anger and amazement that I write this letter after reading the speech from Mr John Dunne, director general of IBEC ("Pay claims damaging Irish competitiveness", Business This Week, March 26th).
Mr Dunne, speaking at the IBEC economic conference in Dublin Castle, conveniently avoids the fact that the directors and managers that his organisation represents are receiving salary increases that the average PAYE worker would take 39 months to earn.
I did not see any mention in the speech about companies which talk about partnership and gainsharing and then divide the gain between management and key staff members.
Maybe Mr Dunne would like to comment on his colleagues in the Construction Industry Federation who are raising the price of new houses by as much as £10,000 in less than a two-week period.
What about the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Ms Mary Harney, who has warned she will bring in legislation compelling disclosure of directors' remuneration in public companies if they do not voluntarily amend their rules to require such disclosure.?
Mr Hans Olaf Henkel, the head of the Federation of German Industries, at the same conference pointed out that the success of the Irish economy depended on low levels of company tax, longer working hours by Irish labour for less pay and the levels of Government borrowing and spending.
I would like to hear Mr Dunne's comments. - Yours, etc., Conor Harnett,
SIPTU shop steward, College Banks, Corbally, Limerick.