A chara, – In a recent interview newly appointed Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe calls the imminent strike action by Irish Rail workers a “slap in the face” for taxpayers. If that is the case, how should we characterise the Government’s treatment of taxpayers? Grievous bodily harm?
While nobody would welcome the disruption that such action might bring to the country, it is the lesser of two evils when compared with the constant damage done to public services by this privatisation-obsessed Government. Since taking office in 2011, Fine Gael and Labour have cut the annual subvention to CIÉ companies by over €53 million, that is back to 1998 funding levels. In the same period, staff at all three CIE companies have taken wage cuts. As the Government annually cuts the funding, the staff is called on to take pay cuts to bridge the funding gap.
As a taxpayer, I have no issue whatsoever with my taxes being used to funding public services such as transport. Using taxes to fund public services is what is supposed to happen. The Government needs to fund public services, including transport, to match the level of service required, without expecting those services to make a profit.
It is extremely disappointing to hear Mr Donohoe criticiising workers for refusing to take repeated cuts in pay to compensate for this Government’s abdication of its responsibilities to public transport funding and its insidious ideological attempt to inch towards privitisation of that sector. – Is mise,
SIMON O’CONNOR,
Lismore Road,
Dublin 12