National Day of Protest on 6th Nov!

[no mo do yakamo]

Paying into a pension from the age of eighteen would have been the equivalent of burning a large chunk of money. Pensions are pretty worthless now. Unless youve got one of those sucker funded bulletproof defined benefit ones that are avaliable to select members of society at a huge discount.

[Rossfan]

Select members of society ...FFS 2 years ago ye were all laughing at anyone that would have a public service job.
Or are you talking about the State pension where you only have to pay PRSI for 10 years to qualify?
Meanwhile public service employees paid tax all their working lives to fund the State pension and cannot get it themselves.( pre 1995)

[mylestheslasher]

Select members of society ...FFS 2 years ago ye were all laughing at anyone that would have a public service job.
Or are you talking about the State pension where you only have to pay PRSI for 10 years to qualify?
Meanwhile public service employees paid tax all their working lives to fund the State pension and cannot get it themselves.( pre 1995)

.

Your first point is absolute bullshit and is a lie being put forward by the unions. For the vast majority of roles the PS has always had the best pay - I asked Donagh to back up a similar statement with some evidence and he didn't so maybe you can take up the challenge.

Secondly, The vast majority of private sector workers pay into paltry pensions (if they can afford one at all), if they are lucky their employer will contribute 3-5%. A tiny minority of companies will contribute more. A private sector pension will not be defined benefit (companies that have this scheme are trying to get out of it). Since the majority of tax payers in this country are private sector workers it is not unreasonable to say that the majority of tax comes from them too. Therefore the majority of funding for the lavish PS pension comes from the private sector worker.

There is also an attempt here to portray the message of this protest as some crusade for the wider people against the evil government. Again, total shite. This is a protest to keep the elevated average pay of the Public Service at its current level by threatening to bring the country to a standstill by with holding essential services. They are doing this at a time when private sector workers are losing their jobs at rates not witnessed since the 80's. The Public sector unions are a selfish greedy bunch who have no interest in the greater good for the country (a fact that won't surprise anyone here I doubt). There interest is in keeping the minority of Irish workers better paid than the majority and to have the majority to pay for them. To try and legitimise this protest they tell us they are doing it for us all cos we are all next - do any of you really believe that?

One final point - we all know the government, the banks and the big builders caused this problem but as much as we might all like to make them "fix" the problem by punishing  them I'm afraid there is not enough money out there in these groups to solve the problem. We will all have to pay unfortunately.

[pk205]

If Public Sector jobs are so wonderful and highly paid as is being claimed then they must have attracted the very best people into those positions. Surely the open-market forces would have seen to that.

[The Blegard]

My God. some intelligent debate. I thought I was on the wrong site!

Can you imagine if some of the civil service was let go. These guys would be unemployable in the private sector. The main problem is productivity. There is probably double the headcount than what there needs to be.

[Zapatista]

Someone tell me I misheard.

Did I hear Willie O'Dea say on newstalk that  - saying you were in the public sector was like saying your grandfather was in the Black n Tans?

I'd like to be sure before I throw a wobbler.

[Declan]

Did I hear Willie O'Dea say on newstalk that  - saying you were in the public sector was like saying your grandfather was in the Black n Tans?

David Begg said this last week - He was saying that such is the vitriol and antipathy out there towards public sector workers  - being whipped up by truly objective commentators - that people felt ashamed to admit they worked there

[Gnevin]

Did I hear Willie O'Dea say on newstalk that  - saying you were in the public sector was like saying your grandfather was in the Black n Tans?

David Begg said this last week - He was saying that such is the vitriol and antipathy out there towards public sector workers  - being whipped up by truly objective commentators - that people felt ashamed to admit they worked there

A tan only cost "10 shillings a day plus full board and lodging" seems like better value than Pat Kenny .

[Zapatista]

David Begg said this last week - He was saying that such is the vitriol and antipathy out there towards public sector workers  - being whipped up by truly objective commentators - that people felt ashamed to admit they worked there

This is the lowest of the low. First Gormley calls it a civil war then this. My anger at the people who are trying to divide the Irish people can't be kept peaceful for much longer. Attempts to divide the Irish people have never ended peacefully.