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RENUA HAVE LAUNCHED the first of two public sector policy documents this afternoon.
Having been accused in the past of being a bit light on policy, the party have put the public sector firmly in their sights with this latest launch.
The paper deals with two specific threads – a ‘right to know’ law for the public, and public service remuneration.
Currently, and for time immemorial, civil servants have been rewarded with a series of increments depending upon their grade level within the sector.
Renua is proposing to change that with a view to a more meritocratic way of doing things.
“We would contend that longevity of service rather than rated performance as a basis for remuneration is wrong,” Renua leader Lucinda Creighton said at the official policy launch at the Dáil plinth this afternoon.
People who work hard above and beyond the call of duty should be rewarded appropriately, and indeed the reverse should be true for those who serially underperform.
The fact that such a structure could lead to added bonuses for politicians was not denied by the Renua leader.
“You’re talking about a system that should be linked to outcomes,” she said. “Not just in terms of economic growth but in terms of quality of life for citizens.”
Under them in government Creighton’s party would rejig what’s in place to a kind of performance-related bonus system, similar to what’s already in place at Bord Gais.
The party stresses that this measure would be all about accountability, with those at managerial grade being the primary focus.
And could this lead to sackings? It could indeed it seems.
Absolutely it could lead to sackings. Serial underperformers should not be immune from losing their jobs if they’re given the opportunity to improve and just refuse to do so,” she said.
Unaccountable
When asked what she thought the public sector unions would make of all this Creighton replied:
Well, who’s running the country? Elected representatives? Or unaccountable unions.
How the electorate would react to such an idea is open to question. While it may be well-received by those working in the private sector, the same is not necessarily the case for those to whom the measures would be of most relevance, civil servants themselves.
The other side of the party’s proposal involves the creation of a public ‘right to know’ law, which will essentially guarantee the public’s right to access all of their details, financial or otherwise, from the likes of the HSE and other government departments.
The stated idea behind such a law would be to put the onus on the state to prove why they should be able to deny a citizen the right to see the information held on them, according to a Renua spokesperson.
“That should remove the need for long and costly court cases,” they said.
I don’t really see why this furniture can’t be moved to their new premises about a mile down the road. Maybe it doesn’t match the new carpets.
@Niall O D: why didn’t they keep the old building as well if your going down that route
@Niall O D: Most of it looks old enough to not really be worth much anyhow, seems to be why they chose an antiques dealer.
@Donal Proctor:The new building has doors that left handed people can use,Money well spent I think.
Wonder if they reformatted the hard drives in those photocopiers. Could make for some interesting reading otherwise.
@Séa Graham: hmmmm… worth a punt or even a Euro! Secret compartments and all perhaps? Personally I’d be afraid I’d catch something off them.
@Normal Josephine: they’ve probably barely been used. The shredders on the other hand…
@Séa Graham: Reformatted? I’d say those things were microwaved and burned. I couldn’t see them just leaving evidence of the largest fraud in history just laying about the place.
@The Guru: it would be funny if it hadn’t cost us all so much!
@The Guru: no shredders are available for sale as all have been burnt out due to excess usagw
Any printing press and plates going? €50 notes preferably.
@Brian Ward: don’t be greedy. I’ll settle for 5 or 10s
@Brian Ward: A press for Printing get out of jail free cards as well lol.
The Microsoft Solitaire burn-in on the computer monitors should see them available at a steep discount at auction.
@alphanautica: Can you imagine using software to undelete what was on those hard drives lol.
I have no doubt considering he knew he was the only one tendering there was a maximum return for the state. State of balance for whoever awarded the tender knowing this country
Should give the money to charity
@Donal Proctor: sure you wouldn’t know where the money was going there either
@Alan Curran: sad but true
@Donal Proctor: Should put the money back into the state pension pot that was raided to prop the banks up…
@Jane Alford: perhaps was more thinking the homeless
Why didn’t they offer all this stuff to the European Central Bank as part payment-in-kind of interest on the Bailout?
@Garreth Byrne:
All was offered to the ECB!
However, since the gas regulators used in the barista bar at the old CB building are a different fitting to that allowed in Germany, the offer was declined.
It was obviously an all or nothing type of deal on those 5,000 items in question. You know yourself…
@Rory J Leonard: Then what about the stockpile of paperclips? Surely the Germans use an international size for them.
Must have been some interesting conversations at those water coolers
The Bank asked Niall Mullen to buy all the contents. Who else did they ask? Was it on etenders?
He agrees and its now going to auction.
You can be sure he bought the contents for a song.
Why didnt the Bank send it straight to auction themselves?
Doesn’t sound right to me.
Excessive amounts of brown manila envelopes are up too
Either the motors on the shredders are burned out or they’re keeping them.
Where can they be viewed?
@Peter McGlynn:
Sean Eacrett Auctions
Ballyshaneduff
Ballybrittas
Co. Laois
Ireland
R32D932
Ireland
For years I’ve overheard Dublin Walking Tour Guides describe the former Central Bank edifice as the most hideous building in Dublin City. One would wonder why it would merit “listed status”. Not the only example of tasteless 70′s design by Mr Stephenson who’s architectural style is officially classified as “Brutalist” in architectural circles or just plain “brutal” in Dublin colloquial speak.
I’d say there was some sneacta snorted from that boardroom table
The creation of double speak employment.
Should it not be free to take away since we own it all ready
Most of the stuff is rubbish
have your say