People thinking of moving out of the capital can get good jobs in the west of Ireland where they will also get more "bang for their buck", according to Western Development Commission chief executive Gillian Buckley.
She said it was a misconception that if people moved to the regions, their careers would stop. She pointed out that there were quality well-paid jobs available in the west. "More importantly, you will get more bang for your buck down here."
Ms Buckley was speaking about the WDC's "Look West" campaign - which promotes the western region from Donegal to Clare as a place to live, work and do business for people living outside the region - at Siptu's West Biennial Delegate Conference 2006 in Galway yesterday.
Instead of moaning, she said the people of the west should be "singing from the rooftops" about the great quality of life they enjoyed compared with cities like Dublin.
Ms Buckley said salaries will go a lot further and houses and creches are cheaper.
"I have friends in Dublin who leave the house at 7am with the kids and don't get home until at least 7pm. That to me is not a life-work balance," she said.
"People in Dublin are sick working long hours, being stuck in traffic and only seeing their kids for an hour before bed-time," she stated.
Meanwhile, Siptu general secretary Joe O'Flynn told delegates at the conference that the union condemned the determination by Bank of Ireland to close off their defined benefit pension scheme to new employees. He accused the Bank of Ireland - the second largest financial institution in the State with profits of over €1.32 billion last year - of closing off the scheme to make even more profits.
"The bank is a major player in the pensions arena and their actions are therefore all the more reprehensible.
"Bank of Ireland is a key member of Ibec, yet it seems there is little that Ibec can do if the bank decided to move ahead with its plans," he said.
So disgusted are Siptu with the "arrogance and greed" of the Bank of Ireland that they have taken their contingency fund of €8 million from the institution and transferred it elsewhere, said Mr O'Flynn. But he said it was not just Bank of Ireland pointing to Independent Newspapers who are proposing "something even worse" by not only closing off their defined benefit pension scheme, but trying to force employees to sign up to increased contribution levels with a threat of winding up the existing scheme if they don't.
