Sir, – Annemarie McCarthy (June 27th) makes an excellent point about the near-poverty status of starting salaries for new civil servants.
A similar situation exists across a number of sectors, and is a direct consequence of the relevant unions voting to keep existing pay and benefits high for existing workers, while new starters have to bear a much greater portion of necessary cost-cutting.
Unions like to paint themselves as progressive engines of social justice.
The reality is that they are special-interest lobby groups whose sole purpose is to win and reinforce privileges for their members, most of whom are workers with long tenure. These are the people who voted to establish such deep pay divides between old and new.
Any fool can see that over time membership profiles will change and that when the new eventually outweigh the old, we will see union influence being brought to bear to improve the status of the new working poor.
By that time most of the old guard will have shuffled off to enjoy safe, guaranteed pensions – funded no doubt by higher taxes on those following behind. – Yours, etc,
JOHN THOMPSON,
Shamrock Street,
Phibsboro,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – As a former public servant (administrative officer grade for seven years), I have no sympathy for Annemarie McCarthy. She should know that two clerical officers simply cannot afford to have three children. – Yours, etc,
EWAN DUFFY,
Castletown,
Celbridge,
Co Kildare.