Sir, – The article by Tánaiste Joan Burton ("Why public sector workers deserve a pay rise", October 29th) about the reasons why public sector workers deserve a pay rise could have been more accurately entitled "Reasons why these workers deserve to have their pay cuts restored and their pension levy abolished". In total, between 2009 and 2012, public servants on very average salaries had their take-home pay reduced by up a fifth.
Now that the financial emergency is over and the recovery is allegedly underway, it is proposed under the Public Service Stability Agreement to very gradually restore these cuts over a number of years. However, as retired public sector workers had the pay cuts and the pension levy applied to their pension, it is a matter of grave concern that when the reductions in the pay of public servants are restored this restoration would also apply to retired members.
The Public Service Stability Agreement is unclear on this matter. It would be very helpful if the Tánaiste could clarify the issue. – Yours, etc ,
BERNADINE O’SULLIVAN,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – In Tánaiste Joan Burton’s article on why public sector workers deserve a pay rise, it appears she bases her argument on the fact some private sector employees are receiving pay rises.
This would be a reasonable argument if the baseline was equal but private sector pay is more than 40 per cent less than public sector pay on average.
Could Ms Burton please explain: Why she prefers a pay rise for one sector rather than tax cuts for all sectors? Why should private sector employees who are paid less, have longer hours and fewer holidays and poorer or no pensions, subsidise (via their taxes) their higher paid, better pensioned colleagues in the public sector? Why investment in the public sector should be diverted into the pay of existing staff rather than in providing better services for patients, students, etc, and in job-creating capital investments? Why it makes economic sense to borrow and pay interest on current expenditure thus passing on debt to future generations?
– Yours, etc,
FRANK DEVINE,
Kenilworth,
UK.
Sir, – Just in case Joan Burton thinks that her Opinion piece “Why public sector workers deserve a pay rise” will help to save the Labour Party from a well-deserved backlash from public servants at the general election let me assure her that it won’t. – Yours, etc,
HENRY MITCHELL,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.