A chara, – Perhaps political representatives of all hues could show some leadership and reduce or forgo their own premium payments. Our TDs and Senators, when averaged out over a year, barely work a five-day fortnight and when they have to work late into the night it makes front page news. – Is mise,
Sir, – In the light of the current expectation by Government that frontline workers in the public service engaged in weekend work should take further cutbacks, and that our politicians who, despite being in receipt of inflated salaries that still exceed those of their European cohorts, relentlessly make much of the fact that they themselves work weekends, should not our politicians lead the way by taking the same pro rata cut of two parts in seven of their pay?
Indeed, given the mediocrity of performance of many in their ranks, perhaps more than two parts in seven would be appropriate. – Is mise,
Sir, – Marie Moynihan (February 19th) writes that she is “not a nurse, but has been the grateful beneficiary of their care and professionalism”, and says that at a “€22,000 salary for nursing recruits, these highly qualified professionals are being asked to work for less than an unskilled labourer’s pay.”
The unskilled labourers are out this morning at temperatures of zero. Hard work comes in many forms, not always skilled. But the key difference at present between labourers and nursing recruits is that three-quarters of the unskilled labouring population is out of a job, while nursing recruits have job offers which they feel confident enough to boycott.
I am neither nurse nor unskilled labourer, and in my view, the nursing recruits have it rather better. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Members of the Government are seeking additional working hours for the same pay under the current Croke Park Agreement extension talks.
Maybe they should lead by example and extend the number of days that the Dáil sits. I know they have increased the Dáil sitting time recently, but they did promise “increasing the number of Dáil sitting days by 50 per cent” and they’re not quite there yet. – Yours, etc,