Madam, - The clamour in favour of a 10 per cent pay cut for the entire public service confirms Myles na Gopaleen's belief that the Irish are a nation of begrudgers. As one employed at a non-academic grade in third-level education, I would argue that the vast majority of public servants serve the public in front-line positions for modest pay. Cost of living pay increases have been several per cent below the headline - let alone the true - rate of inflation for the past decade. They have also been delivered piecemeal, months if not years late.
During the times of plenty, the performance related (or, in some parts of the private financial sector, unrelated) bonus was conspicuous by its absence. While there is a defined-benefits pension scheme, this benefit is inherently incapable of exceeding 50 per cent of a modest salary.
Unlike government ministers, one has to actually retire to collect. There is no subsidised gym/sports/social club membership. "Employee parking" at UCD is a joke, without subsidy. The "impoverished" undergraduates, unable to afford fees, get there first.
I respectfully suggest a more balanced approach to current problems. - Yours, etc,