Public Service Pay 4/02/09

Statement by John Carr, INTO General Secretary, on Public Service Pay

4th February 2009
 
INTO - Government’s attack on public servants wrong, unjustified and disproportionate.
 
INTO General Secretary John Carr has condemned the government’s economic measures as totally unacceptable. He warned of a strong response from the primary teachers’ union if the measures were not modified. He said there was a palpable sense of anger among teachers that public sector workers alone were targeted for cutbacks.
 
He said this week’s announcement by the government was a totally unfair and disproportionate attack on 350,000 hardworking public servants and their families. “Three quarters of the cutbacks unveiled yesterday will be paid for by public servants while those who got the country into the economic mess have not been asked to shoulder any additional burden.”
 
“The very people who are being asked to bear this additional burden are on moderate incomes and are facing the same challenges as everyone else of mortgage repayments, childcare and increased living costs,” said Carr. “The wealthy and privileged have not been asked to put their hands in their pocket to the same extent.”
 
He welcomed the fact that the Taoiseach was willing to engage in dialogue with the public service unions and said the INTO would engage fully in the process. “But,” he said, “these talks are a final opportunity to achieve a fair society.” He said government must get it right this time and that government could not act to save the credit rating of the country by destroying the credit rating of one group of workers.  
 
Referring to the US President’s call to cap the pay of bankers whose institutions were in receipt of government funding Mr Carr said the Irish government should follow his lead. He said the government must not deal with the banks on their terms but that any recapitalisation package must result in real returns to the taxpayer who will be picking up the tab.
 
“Talks with the trade union movement must result in an outcome where all sectors of society contribute to the economic rescue package, not just public servants,” said Carr. He said public servants were willing to make a fair contribution but were not prepared to have their pockets picked while others make no adjustments.  
 
Ends.