A meeting of the frontline alliance, the group representing public sector staff who provide round-the-clock services, heard today of the anger and fear for the future being expressed by members over cutbacks in pay.
General secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) Joe Dirwan said that for the first time in his career, he was encountering members of the force who were experiencing serious financial distress.
Mr Dirwin said members had suffered a 12 per cent cut in pay since the budget and 800 of them would leave the force by the end of the year.
Garda Representative Association (GRA) vice-president Damien McCarthy said 60 per cent of the members of his union had less than 10 years service, with the “vast majority” of them being home-owners who bought at the height of the boom.
“They did not benefit from that era of unprecedented wealth but those who did, the banks, the developers and the builders are the ones being protected,” he added.
They were speaking at the launch of a DVD to highlight alliance’s case against further cutbacks in pay, conditions and services to the public.
The video described the McCarthy report on taxation as “a wedge against dedicated professionals in the public sector” and “not a path out of recession”. It warned of the immediate impact to public services should further cuts be introduced and said it was "time for those who made most from the good times to pay their share".
Declan Breen of the Psychiatric Nurses Association said the response from members since the group was established at the end of last month had been enormous. He said the numbers attending the regional meetings was a “reflection of the feeling on the ground”.
David Hughes of the Irish Nurses Organisation described the 100,000 public servants the alliance represents as “the pillars of society”.
“Without people such as gardaí, nurses and firefighters, society would break down," he said. "The Government cannot afford to lose the confidence of frontline staff but they are very much in danger of doing so."
Unions and staff associations comprising the 24/7 Alliance are: AGSI, GRA, INO, PNA, POA and Siptu.
An empty chair is being reserved at all meetings for PDforra, the group representing soldiers, sailors and air crew. PDforra had originally been part of the group however the Department of Defence wrote to the association informing it that it was banned under law from taking part in any workers’ alliance.
