250,000 State employees on strike

[no mo do yakamo]

If they stay out till the new year we'd have the 1.3 billion savings thats been suggested. Then we could sack the lot of them and recruit people who cared about the country and pay them a performance related wage. Back on our feet come paddys day.

i second this plan...leave them out, cut the salary and we are sorted.....but lets be honest these lads are looking at a 3% cut as this government dont have the balls for it.

Great plan 

Where are you going to find people who actually care about the country? Do you mean people like yourselves, is it?

Think I see from your earlier post why you hate the public sector so much too now tankie - from the sound of it you couldnt cut it in it 

And your plan???

[Rossfan]

What control has ICTU over what individuals who may or may not be members of one of their Unions do?
Any Union members would have done their picket roster and then they were free agents for the day.If they want to spend half a wet day sitting in a traffic jam ....let them at it.
By the way the I in ICTU stands for Irish .... as in Ireland the Country in which Newry is situated. 
Obviously the non emergency staff in the  hospice referred to were taking part in the strike  and picketed their place of work.

And the U stands for the United Kingdom the country the VAT will go to ?

Actually it stands for UNIONS but sure why let the facts get in the way.
"Going forward" as they (IBEC/ISME/Politicians etc) ..if the public servants pay is cut(as is likely)which of course will inevitably lead to more private sector job losses and wage cuts ..then more people will be going North to avail of the cheaper prices aand make their reduced incomes stretch a little further.
By the way why do dental services cost 60% less in the 6 Cos than in the 26?

[Zapatista]

Actually it stands for UNIONS but sure why let the facts get in the way.
"Going forward" as they (IBEC/ISME/Politicians etc) ..if the public servants pay is cut(as is likely)which of course will inevitably lead to more private sector job losses and wage cuts ..then more people will be going North to avail of the cheaper prices aand make their reduced incomes stretch a little further.
By the way why do dental services cost 60% less in the 6 Cos than in the 26?

I thought that was great

More pressure on the Government and it wasn't even intentional Bonus!!

The Unions must be delighted.

[Farrandeelin]

Its funny a few teachers I know all say they didn't want to strike etc. How did the vote so largely in favour of it though?

Also know a Garda who is all for it and was marching last week in Dublin. I was in shock when he told me his gross salary last year and before his allowances as well. It was criminal in fact.

Can you give a figure?

79% of INTO members voted to strike.

[An Gaeilgoir]

Its funny a few teachers I know all say they didn't want to strike etc. How did the vote so largely in favour of it though?

Also know a Garda who is all for it and was marching last week in Dublin. I was in shock when he told me his gross salary last year and before his allowances as well. It was criminal in fact.

Can you give a figure?

Can't say, I was doing some work for him and thats why he told me.

A good frind of mine is a sergeant in a specialist dept. in the guards. Basic 55k, last year including all allowances and OT 87k plus the free use of the "company" car seven days a week. No BIK to be paid on it. Also a teacher i know recently retired following 40 years service, she gets close on 3k a month pension, fair enough, but she also got a lump sum of 110k plus. In fairness they are unsustainable figures. Also i noticed the figure of 250000 people on strike today, say add in 50000 who worked. That is 300,000 public sector workers for a population of 4 million!!! How does the likes of Manchester, Birmingham manage? Do they have the same levels of public sector workers or do they actually a 40 hour week,every week, regardless of night shift etc? Just wondering........

[Gnevin]

Union chief concedes that €1.3bn payroll cut is needed

By Anne-Marie Walsh Industry Correspondent

Wednesday November 25 2009

THE most senior public sector union negotiator last night admitted for the first time it is "necessary" to find ways to cut €1.3bn from the State payroll.

Peter McLoone ruled out any permanent or temporary pay cuts but it is understood that he will present the Government with cuts by another name.

Speaking as 250,000 workers effectively closed down the entire public service for 24 hours yesterday, he said it would be "necessary" to agree "temporary measures" to cut the payroll next year.

He admitted reforms would not be enough to give the savings that are needed before 2011.

Sources revealed that one of the alternatives he may examine at talks with the Government, which re-start today, will be compulsory unpaid leave.

A proposal that could see public servants take 12 days off per year, amounting to roughly two weeks' gross salary, could make up the bulk of the savings.

The amount of days taken may be based on a worker's total earnings, meaning that higher-paid workers would take most of the leave.

But senior sources last night said this measure was unlikely to apply to frontline workers or areas where there are staff shortages, like speech therapy.

It is understood that the Government's plans to extend the working week across the public sector, particularly from 8am to 8pm in the health sector, thereby scrapping overtime rates, would not be enough to get the savings on its own.

Talks

Despite agreeing to go back to talks, The Irish Congress of Trade Unions' Public Services Committee yesterday set a date next Thursday week for another national strike.

But Committee chairman Mr McLoone appeared set to strike a deal that would be rubberstamped by the unions. The union leader appeared determined to avoid the eventually that the Finance Minister would impose another cut to basic pay of 6.5pc, just months after the pension levy took a similar amount from wages.

"I believe it is possible to agree an alternative that will achieve the savings the Government requires," he said.

The possibility of another strike is throwing up difficulties for two public sector unions.

The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants and the Irish Federation of University Teachers have only balloted for a one-day strike. They do not have a mandate for a second strike -- and do not have time to ballot and serve the required seven day's legal notice


http://www.independent.ie/national-news/union-chief-concedes-that-836413bn-payroll-cut-is-needed-1952759.html

[armaghniac]

That is 300,000 public sector workers for a population of 4 million!!!

The 26 counties does not have an especially high number of public servants, by comparison to other places. There is a real question about whether they are efficiently organised and like other people here they are somewhat overpaid in some cases, but there aren't all that many of them. With a million in education it takes a lot of people to give them a reasonable service, even though staff student ratios are about the worst in Western Europe. Likewise a lot of people are in health. 

[mylestheslasher]

Apparently every town in country had a shopping bonanza yesterday. Glad the PS enjoyed their holiday.

[mylestheslasher]

Taxi driver on Joe Guffy earlier talking about Coppers and a few other clubs and pubs in Dublin being flat out last night. He said it was like Christmas Eve....he even said that he overheard a  few punters in the back of his cab saying that they hoped that the strike would be on a different day next time as Monday night wasnt the best night to be going out!!

I know this is going to probably get up everyone's noses, but my teaching friends were going daft in Coppers last night. I can see where the private sector anger is coming from, but the private sector were laughing at anyone who took a public sector job a couple of years ago.

Let me spell this out for you "BULLSHIT".

[sheelinside]

a while ago on a sun holiday i met a guard who told me he recieved 68k in overtime in 12 months- this on top of his basic salary.
at the time i was earning around the 35k mark after 3 years of work since qualifing- working around a 50 hour week.

my jaw dropped- i just thought to myself this madness will not and cannot last.

have done a good bit of travelling in the last 18months- i have yet to see a more expensive country than us.
its a shame- we really have been ruined.
i blame the politicans- the biggest shower of greedy self serving bast**ds i have ever seen- not a strong person of morals amongst them.

it sickens me to read some the expenditure on "entitled expenses" and wastage that has been occuring at taxpayers cost and i was struck by what kind of greedy person could justify these costs. To see what some expenses were, and to think these people thought they were entitled to them. OUR money. have they not the slightest bit of conscience?

a fish rots from the head down.

[sammymaguire]

I think this "strike" is pathetic myself, however, this is slightly off the point but did you hear about the Jimmy Choo shoes being sold by H&M, €56 in UK, €86 in Europe and well over €100 in Ireland  You go into any Next store and peel back the €40 euro label for a shirt and see £18... big wages transfers into high prices, its a shocking pandemic which reverts into a real mess

[Dinny Breen]

Really some people don't realise how lucky they are...

EP Mooney and Budget Travel gone...

http://www.rte.ie/business/2009/1125/epmooney.html

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1125/budgettravel.html

[bingobus]

Really some people don't realise how lucky they are...

EP Mooney and Budget Travel gone...

http://www.rte.ie/business/2009/1125/epmooney.html

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1125/budgettravel.html

Yeah but all these private sector employees made millions and thousands during the boom years. The poor public sector workers remained on the breadline as their friends bought second homes, a fleet of cars, villas and loads of bling bling 

[muppet]

I think this "strike" is pathetic myself, however, this is slightly off the point but did you hear about the Jimmy Choo shoes being sold by H&M, €56 in UK, €86 in Europe and well over €100 in Ireland  You go into any Next store and peel back the €40 euro label for a shirt and see £18... big wages transfers into high prices, its a shocking pandemic which reverts into a real mess

Yes but lowering wages alone leaves the problem that lots of people wont be able to meet their very high mortgages.

If the burden of high mortgages caused by the property boom (which in hindsight was clearly Government policy) can be reduced then wages could be lowered. This would improve our competitiveness and we might see a recovery.

The problem is the Government only relieved the banks of the burden of the debt and did nothing for the citizens. Lowering wages now means more mortgage defaults which brings more problems for the banks which we will have to bail out again thanks to the bank guarantee.

[stew]

I think this is all brilliant. Hope it goes for a 3 dayer next time.

Why is it brilliant?

I just heard on the news there now how the Council workers in Athlone refused a plea ignore the strike to help locals facing severe flooding.

How could you ever look your neighbour in the eye after doing that?

Eh you are on strike, to go and help would make you a scab in the eyes of the union and your colleagues, that said I would have helped them but refused to get paid for doing so, that way you salve your conscience and also keeps you in the good graces with the locals.