Madam, - The junior minister at Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr John McGuinness, has caused a lot of anger among public sector workers by claiming they are so cosseted by their unions as to constitute "a reactionary, inert mass at the centre of our economy" (The Irish Times, September 15th).
Perhaps Mr McGuinness should address his own shortcomings before criticising others. His productivity and delivery as a public servant are far from satisfactory, even in his own constituency.
Maybe he could tell us how much legislation he has guided through the Dáil, or say why he has never delivered on commitments to 160 Comerama workers in Kilkenny, when they were made redundant in 2003, that they would be included in the improved formula for statutory entitlements.
This pledge, which has never been honoured, would have ensured that the people concerned received two weeks' pay per year of service, rather than the half-a-week to one week they actually ended up with.
Responsibility for delivering on this commitment rests with the Minister's very own Department.
Ironically, while Mr McGuinness is calling for thousands of redundancies in the public sector, CAT scans at St Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny have been delayed for lack of adequate staff cover and similar problems can be found across the health service. As for the comfortable situation of public sector workers with their inflation-proof pensions, Mr McGuinness seems unaware that there are Coillte and industrial State forestry workers in his own constituency retiring on pensions of €25 a week after 46 years' service.
As someone who has a very well-paid job as a Minister, an inflation-proofed, publicly funded pension and an extensive private-sector income, Mr McGuinness might just spare a moment to reflect on his own comfortable circumstances and his rather lack-lustre performance as a public servant before lecturing others. - Yours, etc,
CHRISTY McQUILLAN, Midlands and South-East Regional Secretary, Siptu, Patrick Street, Kilkenny.