Public sector pay and the Croke Park Agreement

[Baron von Biffo]

Refusing to address the point as usual.

Mc Guinness is not the PAC, just 1 component.

McGuinness is the chair of the most important Dail committee. His prejudging of matters that might come before the committee means that any conclusions it subsequently comes to are tarnished.

We should note that putting the blame on civil servants serves to exonerate Lenihan and Cowen and those who, like McGuinness, voted them into their powerful offices and supported their every decision.

So again, how do you feel about our top civil servants not bothering to keep minutes of the most important matters of business that this state has ever dealt with?

In my opinion they were either grossly incompetent, to the point of being sacked, or criminal, to the point of being jailed.

What do you think?

I think you will always support anyone who wants to do down PS workers.

[MPB]

McGuinness is the chair of the most important Dail committee. His prejudging of matters that might come before the committee means that any conclusions it subsequently comes to are tarnished.

We should note that putting the blame on civil servants serves to exonerate Lenihan and Cowen and those who, like McGuinness, voted them into their powerful offices and supported their every decision.



I think you will always support anyone who wants to do down PS workers.

Hiding from the facts as usual.

I think the people gave their opinions on the last Govt at the last election. Does,nt go far enough in my opinion, as I feel that all members of the last Govt between 1997 and 2011 should be pauperised.

As for our top civil servants.....no blame, no minutes, no investigation, no inquiry....but still in the top jobs or retired on 200k a year.

[Baron von Biffo]

Hiding from the facts as usual.

What facts? All we have is the ranting of a politician with an agenda to push.

I think the people gave their opinions on the last Govt at the last election. Does,nt go far enough in my opinion, as I feel that all members of the last Govt between 1997 and 2011 should be pauperised.

As for our top civil servants.....no blame, no minutes, no investigation, no inquiry....but still in the top jobs or retired on 200k a year.

No need for an impartial investigation before apportioning blame?

[Baron von Biffo]

This Week will have John McGuinness and Eoghan Murphy on in a moment to put the boot into PS workers. Balanced broadcasting me arse.

[Baron von Biffo]

Murphy homes in on the Sunday Allowance to Tourism Ireland. That's the allowance that's paid instead of more expensive overtime rates. It's also covered by UK law so the government can't just cancel it.

[Baron von Biffo]

That was the most biased bit of broadcasting I've ever heard on RTE. The two politicians were in full agreement that PS workers must be hammered and the presenter never challenged them.

[Baron von Biffo]

Last night on TWIP and again today on News at One Sean O'Rourke asked ministers if it was time to have a Benchmarking III. Their replies were interesting.

On TWIP, Varadkar said that PS workers shouldn't be benchmarked against private sector workers here but against PS workers in the EU.

On News at One, Howlin was against the idea.

One has to wonder why, if all the talk of PS pay being so far ahead of private sector rates is true, two ministers would be against benchmarking.

[Baron von Biffo]

Mary Lou was on SixOne advocating an immediate cap of €100k on public sector salaries. Can she really be that stupid?

[ang]

Mary Lou was on SixOne advocating an immediate cap of €100k on public sector salaries. Can she really be that stupid?

Brian Hayes was first out of the traps with that one this morning -

Hayes: Public sector salaries over €100k have to be looked at

Speaking to the Today with Pat Kenny programme on RTÉ Radio, the Minister of State said that the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Howlin were now asking ministers to submit plans on how pay rolls costs could be reduced further.

http://www.thejournal.ie/public-sect...07569-Sep2012/

[MPB]

There are a couple of solutions to this problem.

The first is a pay cut for all public servants, starting at 5% rising to 25% while at the same time allowing a 20% write off of all mortgage debt. This in my opinion is the fairest outcome, as those with debt will be more able to afford a pay cut if their monthly bills are cut, while those without debt can afford a pay cut. It also puts the burden on to those who were the cause of the problem in the first place, the banks and their bondholders, as the Govt would have to decide that the ECB took responsibility for the portion of Private Bank debt undertaken by corrupt Irish Govts.

The second is to raise taxes on all earnings above 100k, both private and public to 65% and taxing all wealth excluding the family home, above 1 million euro at 50%.

The first is my preferred option.

[Baron von Biffo]

Brian Hayes was first out of the traps with that one this morning -


http://www.thejournal.ie/public-sect...07569-Sep2012/

Did they have the same breakfast in the Dail restaurant?

[DCon]

more Budget kites being flown?

Frank Fitzgibbon ‏@FrankSunTimes

SunTimes says rental income, dividends and some consultant fees to be hit with 4% PRSI charge and SBP says maternity benefits may be taxed

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Mary Lou was on SixOne advocating an immediate cap of €100k on public sector salaries. Can she really be that stupid?

Why? Explain where the huge demand is for highly paid Irish civil servants elsewhere. Are Juventus sniffing around in the hope of picking up a few?

What would have to be going on in your head to think that any civil servant in Ireland should be earning in excess of 100,000 euro?

What evidence is there that they are the 'creme de la creme' of public administration anywhere?

Overpaid. Overstaffed. Overindulged. And it should be declared 'Over'.

If there was true benchmarking to the private sector at least one fifth of Irish civil servants's jobs would be gone. And I would tend to start at the top and work down rather than starting at the bottom and working up.

Since when has an Irish civil servant ever blown the whistle on corruption that they undoubtedly knew about at senior level with Irish politicians? Never as far as I can recall.

So we damn well know which side they are on. Politicians can be voted out. Civil servants should have no right to expect to be employed and move up a salary scale oblivious of the world around them.

The stench of a sense of entitlement off senior Irish civil servants is appalling and personified in the Cardiff affair.

[morticia]

I like the plan to cut wages and mortgage debt at the same time, but I suspect it's a non-runner thanks to the vast amount of admin that would be required. Not to mention that they don't have the money. They'd need the EU to bankroll it.

[Baron von Biffo]

A newly qualified teacher on SixOne now saying she was earning more in an unskilled job in retail than she will as a teacher.

That's exactly the sort of thing that will attract high calibre people to teaching in the future.