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A 33-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the killing of Ian Ogle in Belfast.
The man was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London last night and brought to Northern Ireland.
He is the 14th person to be arrested as part of the murder investigation. The others, 11 men and two women, were all questioned and released.
Ogle, a 45-year-old community worker and loyalist activist, was killed at Cluan Place in East Belfast on Sunday 27 January.
Speaking after the latest arrest, Detective Chief Inspector Peter McKenna renewed the PSNI’s appeal for witnesses to the “horrific murder”.
“The husband and father-of-two was viciously attacked by a gang of at least five men on the night in question and sadly later died from his horrific injuries.
“His skull was fractured and he was savagely stabbed 11 times in the back before being left to die on the street,” McKenna said.
Discarded clothing or weapons
Police believe the events leading up to Ogle’s murder began on the Beersbridge Road at around 8.45pm on 27 January, when an altercation took place outside a fast food outlet. The exact circumstances of that incident are still unconfirmed, but police believe Ogle was present.
Shortly before 9.30pm, Ogle’s killers parked a black Seat Leon, registration number JGZ 7406, in Langtry Court, just off Templemore Avenue. They then walked the short distance to Cluan Place.
After the attack, they returned to Templemore Avenue. Police said some of the killers got into the car and others dispersed on foot from Langtry Court, through the houses. The car was driven along Templemore Avenue, into Major Street and onto the lower Newtownards Road, before being left at Pitt Place.
McKenna said police want to hear from anyone who has information. “If you were driving in that area or have any dashcam footage, please contact us. If you have found recently discarded clothing or weapons of any sort, I want to know about that,” he stated.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact police via the phone number 101, referencing 1303 of 27/1/19, or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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250,000 protested in Dublin 30 years ago over taxes and the government changed their mind on tax.
25,000 protested in Dublin 25 years ago over the fishing rod licence and the government changed their mind on introducing a rod licence.
Don’t expect changes unless there is the mother and father of all marches.
Change is in OUR hands.
It is Paul, but in this corrupt hole, I fear that people will view emigration as a much more sensible option. I would find it hard to disagree with them also.
Front page Sunday independent today, more on Lowry, €200,000.00 it looks like he avoided tax on, yet he is still voted in.
We Irish are are own worst enemies
There is one mother of a strike on the way me thinks.
Strike is one thing, need a few hundred thousand marching before change will happen.
We need to Vote No in huge numbers and then start visibly preparing for strike action. Union members are mad as hell about this deal and there are initiatives springing up everywhere to bypass the leader ship if needed. for example the We Defend our Public Services: We Defend our Pay & Conditions page on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/DefendPublicServices ). I’d say the boys at the top haven’t realised that all the social networking stuff people do today mean they no longer have the complete communications monopoly they once had.
Like many health professionals I have had enough. 37 hours no problem less than the x hours of unpaid time done every week to keep a service ticking over. In 5 years I’ve seen my department half yes half it’s numbers and be expected to provide a higher level of service. Would be fine if the computer and printer worked – we had 1 pc that turned out to be so out of date the IT guys laughed – it’s asset tag had been written off along the way! I have no admin support so I am an expensive secretary wasting clinic slots! I have to go via switch to get an outside line often taking 15 mins per call!!!! My expensive self funded specialist masters is worth nothing to my employers and to be honest I wish I’d spent the money travelling rather than furthering my career. I’m sitting on a transfer/redeployment list 5 years ( the HR cock up that cost me a post is another story). All I’m asking for is a move to a hospital where my specialist training is in short (non existent) supply. Cut my hard earned increments – well don’t expect my god will to last. Yes the HSE needs an overhaul – however the best are looking else where to employers that will value us and like many I am thinking of joining them. 59k 16 years of experience. Yes I work with lazy sods – management level mainly…. Tackle that and we could save a hell of a lot more money that hitting the front line!
Hear hear.
Thanks!
Hang in there, sounds like you have put your finger on a whole range of issues which sum up why our public services are so inefficient. I only wish our political leaders would stop grandstanding and actually provide some leadership and proper management. This is not rocket science but obviously way beyond the wit of all the political lackeys stuffed into management roles over decades of nepotism and brown envelopes. About two years under a Michael O’ Leary type Dept. head would sort most of it out.
Couldn’t agree more, my self funded MSc, which I obtained with the hope that I could improve both my career and my patient care, means absolutely nothing to the HSE. Front line staff trying to deliver first class care in a second class system. Morale at rock bottom and now more pay cuts to look forward to! Every single day a shortage of staff means that care is stretched more thinly until one day it will become so transparent that it can’t even be seen. I went into nursing to look after people, to make them better when I could, to surround them in peace and comfort when I couldn’t. I hope and pray that things will improve and that nurses will be able to do what they’re best at, in the knowledge that they’ll be paid fairly, but right now I can’t feel much hope for the future.
@pat, then you’d have to bring in compulsory redundancy. The PS don’t won’t that.
We can all agree
Actually a good teacher would sort it out !
…..the Troika do compulsory redundancies. It will be interesting to see who wins out.
If anyone wants a day on the front line to be a) vomited on or receive other body fluids b) verbal abuse/ threats client and often worse their families c) physical abuse d) lack of basic resources to help you do your job and e) lack of basic respect for what you do – feel free!
I like many got a mortgage based on my pre cuts salary, thanks to a chronic health problem attend the GP frequently, I commute 60 mins + each way to work ( could not afford to buy anywhere near work @ the boom height), pay my tax, house tax, spectic tank tax and the rest. Yes I have my problems like everyone – what I’m fighting for is to be respected! Devaluing the front line is not the way forward – tackle the system.
The injustice to front line staff should not be used as a smokescreen to protect the middle and upper management.
It seems the Cabinet are to take a pay cut. I hope we see the same from the Union leaders; they should reveal their salaries and where the 10s of millions each Union individually collects goes.
Will not hold my breath of the government parasites taking any cuts…Pat Rabbitte was quoted today in the media as saying i am afraid so tds will have to take a pay cut. im afraid so!!! what the fk is that the rest of us had no choice with pay cuts pay freezes yet these tds will just claim more in expenses…pity they did not adopt the same hardline stance in europe as they are adopting with the citizens of this state…new legislation if you do not accept reduction in wages etc,revenue will raid your bank accounts…yet roll over for europe….
I remember pat rabbit on the frontline programme before the elections giving out to an audience member stating that all TDs like him included are not like Finna fail and wud not fcuk up this country again, well I’m afraid pat,ye are worse than Finna fail.” I’m afraid so “, in response to taken a pay cut, wat an insult to frontline and lower public sector workers there trying to screw
“The system” is raising €32Bn in taxes – and spending €57Bn. The two major causes are 1) Public Sector pay and “entitlements” and 2) Social Welfare. 70%of the HSE budget goes on salary, 80% of the education budget goes on salary. How do you suggest we, as a nation, proceed. Now remember this is not taking into account the illegal gambling debt forced on the nation by the FG/Labour sellouts.
Looking to strip front line workers while simultaneously looking for increases and bonus for HSE execs is mind bogglingly sickening…
Why are we the way we are? Answer we let banks and the government run riot. Enda Kenny and his band of crazies are traitors simple as. They fees us lies and we do nothing. They rob us blind we do nothing. We are the biggest bunch of lazy idiots this world has.
As popular as it is immensely meaningless. Well done. Can we call this one “Generic Rant 537″.
Fianna Fáil are the real traitors don’t ever forget that! We need new parties before next elections
Absolutely. Irish people seem to have the memory of an e’d-up goldfish. FG/Labour should have done things differently but let’s not loose sight of the policies that caused the crisis to begin with.
persistently blaming the last government does not lessen the ineptitude of the current one, by all means lets not forget the criminal failings of ff, but by the same token, lets discontinue the amazing tolerance of the slow motion nightmare that is our current squad of buffoons in leinster house, my father insists that the irish are an intelligent race, lets us at last prove him right and run these clowns out of office
As an intelligent race why are we stuck with the not fit for parties we have! We need a completely new political landscape ! I will never vote for ff and SinnFein
And FG/Labour carried on where FF left off.
Fg/labour had no choice but to follow through with the ff/greens legacy! Simply because FF sold our autonomy and or independence to foreign concerns. They do have it in the there power to have the courage to confront the bankers, reform in a genuine way the civil service and ease the burden on the families who are harressed by the banking sector! But going after the blue light services is there fatal mistake
‘They do have it in the there power to have the courage to confront the bankers’!!!!!! what country are u living in mate because it cant be Ireland?
Of course it’s in their power! Do the posess the courage that’s evidentially no! But I hate we have no alternatives to the two major parties
Of course we have an alternative, you just need to find the balls to not vote for them, there are some new parties emerging. Repeating that there’s no alternatives is just helping to cement their place in the next election. I will not be voting for any of the following fffg(same party) lab or sf( socialist republicans??? are u having a laugh?), the socialist party or the pbp, all of these are products of a failed system and the people involved seem incapable of independent thought, these stupid old ideals of right and left views belong to a different era when events did not change so rapidly, we need some people that have the ability to change with the times.
I hope enough is enough hopefully when the bill for living in a house drops through the letterbox the game changes
I believe Kieran is making a very significant point here. I question why union reps with strong links to the labour party are making public announcements to their members,prior to the commencement of negotiations, that there will have to be a lot of cuts. It suggests that some negotiators have been bought off to sell out the people they are supposed to represent. I hope I’m wrong because it would be the ultimate betrayal.
Like Paul Bell negotiating for Siptu and being a labour councillor
I think most union members have copped onto this. When the unions tell us they got the best deal and ‘advise’ us to accept what’s on offer, I don’t think people will be so gullible this time! Unions are now go betweens for the government not representatives of workers.
There are about 800 quangos ,advisory boards to advisory boards; that have not been touched by successive governments .”an bord snip” recommended getting rid of these but only one has gone .front line workers are obviously a softer target .
They might of appeared to be a soft target but back the nicest of animals into a corner and see what happens.. This will get messy.
They mistake the humanitarian nature of our jobs as a weakness that can be exploited
Lets cut the public service…. then after that, we can complain when the public service isnt up to scratch!
I’d actually earn more in the private sector and always would have. I have the option of jumping ship to private @ better salary. Tempting yes. Please compare like with like when it comes to professionals.
So what are we saying here……..is it time the sleeping giant of the Irish people take to the streets and call for this government to end
Wonder how the gardai will feel standing outside the dail protecting the people who are destroying their lives
Take to the streets people its gone to far Kenny and Co need to be put back into their box and this government fall
Problem is then who goes in-not one party deserves it or can be trusted
A committee of suitable people picked to run the country – great minds of finance, justice, health people at the top of their field who work their I don’t know
What I do know is that the time has come to put an end to this nightmare and shape our own destiny
Kenny and Co to go
the red devil that is a great idea its time for action no more arguing with each other or giving out on live line it gets us nowhere.
@Red Devil. If a committee is appointed thy would slash and burn a la private sector. Are you ready for that?
great minds of finance? justice? health? are you joking where are they its these very people who brought this country to its knees with their greedy mantra their over inflated opinion of themselves cop on for gods sake
Mental health and anger management are the business,s to go into
The people are deflated at the moment ,they are a bit stunned ,they are waiting to see what,s coming next ,they have taken a lot of hit,s If they feel it,s for nothing or never ending and I think it will be ,there will be a backlash and it will happen all over Europe it,s just a matter of who start,s it
A European summer or something like that
Kenny and co are on a roll. They’ve got the taste of blood and they think they’re invincible. Token resistance by the unions are only making this crowd more determined to press on with cuts and higher taxes. How far will they be allowed to go before the people strike back? Personally I thought it would have been at the last budget. Now I’m starting to wonder if it will ever happen. Are the government putting something in the water that keeps us calm or what? I think it’s more likely that people realise that there’s no point in fighting back, because there’s no one else out there offering a realistic alternative. The mainstream political parties have the whole system designed in such a way, that it would take many years for any new parties to become big enough to worry them. We could kick Kenny’s gang of pillagers out tomorrow, but what’s the point, if we replace them with another gang of pillagers? We turned a blind eye to grand scale corruption by politicians and their cronies for years. Now we’re paying the ultimate price. Austerity for ordinary people is here for years to come, and we’ve only ourselves to blame.
How’s the view from the academic ivory tower Mr Allen, go and try and work for a living and keep your hands out of my pockets.
so acedemia isnt a real job?
Time to get real, this public service parallel universe is not sustainable in our economy. The extraordinary demands for entitlements are an affront to those in the private sector. Where do these public service unions think the money comes from to pay their salaries allowances and pensions? I don’t have any issues with public service workers but for goodness sake it’s time to stop codding ourselves that we can continue to pay our public service workers more than they would get in the private sector. When did this idiotic notion start, that one group of workers, industry and self employed should support another group of workers and give them terms and conditions better than themselves. Finally, who decided that a group of public servants should negotiate with themselves on a new Croke Park deal? I think I will negotiate a new deal with myself.
Just outta curiosity, What do you do yourself Thomas!?
Fine Gael supporter?
If I was working privately I would be earning 1.25 times what I earn now, and I’d be getting training as part of the job.
If I was working in the US I’d be doing what it is I’m actually qualified to do, and earning 1.5 times what I earn here, and I wouldn’t have to deal the utter rubbish I deal with here.
We’ll remind you of that when, God forbid, you are lying on a hospital trolley with no staff to treat or attend to you, or when your car gets robbed but there arent sufficient Guards to come to your aid, or when you house goes on fire but the Fire Service has no funds or staff to fulfil their duties, or when your children are taught in sub-standard schools by below par teachers (because any bright, capable potential teachers wouldnt touch the profession with a barge poll)….. The private sector needs the public sector and vice versa…squeezing their salaries isnt going to get the best people in the job…
And why do private sector workers think that we should be grateful to them for ‘paying’ us? Do they think we dont pay taxes, universal social charge etc? And as for pensions – paying a third of your entire salary over 40 years to get half your salary for, what, 20 years, and obviously dont get any state pension? Hardly a handout from govt
Nurses and teachers are better paid in the private sector. There is no private sector Gardai or prison officers to compare salaries too. Your argument is therefore redundant. Next.
“Nurses and teachers are better paid in the private sector” you say….? Ah okay, coz I was under the impression that the whole argument was that the PUBLIC SECTOR were overpaid and have all the cushy nubers. Thanks for clearing it up…
Thomas it’s not the public service though is it ! It’s the unions of the public service that are sacrificing the emergency service workers who risk there lives for you and every other persons safety! 2 paramedics, 3 firefighters and 4 guards have lost there lives in the past ten years in the service of the state! How many civil servants/politicians have ? The average wage of the emergency services is a max of 40 k
Last night two firefighter/paramedics with Dublin Fire Brigade where attacked in the line of duty!! We have politicians, union officials telling us that we get paid too much, how many civil servants, politicians or union officials put there lives on the line ! Someone swearing at you from behind plexiglass at a social welfare office is not the same as physical assault, threatened with weapons or being shot or stabbed! A student throws a tomato at a politician though and he’s the victim of atrocity!
I can’t believe that the journal would allow a one sided argument from one of the most anti trade union SWP supporters. This guy has no answers only criticism. What has he done for working people? What has he or his anti trade union party ac,hived for working people ?? Nothing. Never will. A self serving idiot.
Gerry is just pissed that trade union hacks who are members of the Labour Party are getting found out now- as they sit around negotiation table with their labour buddies to hatch a deal to cut public service workers wages.
As for Kieran Allen being anti trade union? Is he not president of education branch of siptu?
You prove my point. So what have you done for working people?
It’s very misleading simply describing Kieran Allen as a Senior Lecturer at the bottom of the article and not mentioning his affiliation to the Socialist Workers Party (a party that also use the People Before Profit and United Left Alliance brand names).
When I come across a column by someone that I don’t know, I always read the columnist’s pen picture first in order to know where they’re coming from. In this case, not mentioning the SWP gives the impression that the writer is politically disinterested when in fact he has a long history of activism.
Of course Gerry you chose to ignore my assertion 1. that union hacks- members of labour party are getting very vexed that they are getting exposed as close to govt with the talks charade, 2. that your claim that Allen is anti trade is hilarious as he is siptu ed branch president and campaigned in the trade union movement for years.
Campaigned against the trade union you mean. So could have a debate wiTh you but your like the rest, hiding behind a cowardly name. What’s your name? You SWP as well.? Calling names is as good as you get.
Again, Gerry ignores the point of discussion & reverts to slur.
Major problem with these talks is trade union hacks and bureaucrats who are in the Labour Party are in talking to their friends on how to cut workers pay. Simple as. And now when someone writes an article exposing it- Gerry tries to deflect from it by ranting about swp.
Gerry chooses again to ignore point that Labour Party hacks in senior trade union positions sit in “talks” with their friends on how to cut their members wages. Shameful. And Gerry won’t address the assertion in his replies
As I thought. Can’t answer, won’t answer. Coward. Go talk to your anti trade union buddies. The do nothing brigade. If The article was written by Shane Ross and appeared in the Sunday Independent I would not be out of place.
Good man Gerry. Ignore his points there. Good man.
What have I done? Nearly 10 years and counting as branch organiser in my union. (But I suppose I’m anti-trade union Gerry!)
Gerry’s accusation of anti-trade unionism is what labour hacks hide behind when members accuse them of sell out. Oh and the other is try and red-scare.
If ordinary member criticises the bureaucrats who sell out their members to their Labour Party friends in Gerrys world 1. They must be anti trade union 2. They must be members of SWP
News flash- Trade union members who are active and not members of a political party are waking up to the treachery of union hacks who are selling us out.
Liar
Too close to the truth i think gerry. Liar? That’s juvenile. Which parts a lie? Please elaborate.
The fact that you can only reply with one word speaks volumes- you can’t even bring yourself to talk about it. In anticipation of your analysis…
Jack O Connor is very quie these days…. Wonder why?
Who are you. What union? Reveal yourself. I don’t debate with cowards. If you have something to debate at let us know who u are? But you won’t. Bye bye into your little world of do nothing. Your anti trade union friends just love you. Are you a blue shirt or SWP? Same thing
Blueshirt? Ha! The same anti worker right wing blueshirts your Labour Party are in government with?
Ok- maybe Gerry will try a little quiz.
Of the 3 main Siptu “negotiators” in the “talks” how many are members of the Labour Party?
A. Two B. Two C. Two
Of the labour members who are in negotiating with labour for siptu how many are labour council lots (even a Lord Mayor)? Is it A. One B. One C. One
Which party recently gave a job on a state board to a high ranking negotiator of a teacher union, who was of their ministers constituency workers?
Is it A. Labour Party B. Labour Party or C. Labour Party?
Gold star if you get all 3 correct Gerry.
Extra star if you do so without claiming that any of the questions are anti union or an SWP conspiracy!
Sorry typo- “Labour lots” should read “labour councillors” as in “labour councillors who negotiate with labour ministers while drawing a trade union wage to represent workers who pay subs from their wages”
No answer again. Debate over. Faceless as ever.
What union are you??? Is it the union or one of them that are inflicting cuts on the people they DO NOT represent??
Gerry???? Are you there??? Seems a point has been proven…..
The trade union bosses only look out for themselves and there buddies on big wages they dont care about the ordinary worker.its all a big act for them they are all friends behind closed doors having a laugh at our expense
Gerry’s gone because he can’t answer the questions.
Please note he didn’t refute any of my points. Instead demanded to know my name and union. I am a member of a trade union and active in it for over 10 years and a member of various unions since I was 18. What my name is or union does not change the fact that Gerry is defending his colleagues in labour party who are union positions now negotiating pay cuts for members. Fact.
Hourly rates that are up to 50% higher than the private sector average is a good reason for the public sector employer to seek some changes especially since its the private sector worker who carries the burden of paying for it.
Its out of line.
Low pay in the private sector is minimum wage delivering about €17pa and low pay in the public sector is often referred to as €25k.
There it is.
Whats with this race to the bottom? So now everyone should be poor? Private sector minimum wage includes cleaners, shop assistants etc – of course they should be paid less than nurses, teachers, guards. Where would be the incentive to further one’s education,career,seek promotion etc? – The Soviet Union this aint!
Good shout Fay… and what a fantastic name you have aswell… and my, are those new shoes… they look lovely.
Nope, cant afford a new pair!
Yes…its tough in the private sector
Wrong Gerry Ryan wrong. Why the public sector at all sure they should be working for nothing is that Gerry ?
The only thing thats wrong is you dont agree, and you believe that the rest of us owe you a rate of pay thats 50% above the private economy.
Best of luck in keeping it but the numbers who can contribute to it are dwindling.
This is not austerity. We are still spending far more than is coming in, even excluding the bank bailouts. The author’s apparent strategy of waiting until near the end of Croke Park and trying to force a deal would be truly insane, even by the standards of the beardy fools running the unions.
So you think public sector workers should pay for the bank bailout and the gambling of the capitalist idiots that ran and still run this country? The public sector workers have had all the cuts plus this additional .cuts on top. Your the fool.
Forget the bank bailout – even if that hadn’t happened, the Irish Public Sector is enormous and there are too many overpaid people producing very little at the middle and upper levels. They should not be protected, unlike the rest of society. We don’t have the money to pay them, regardless of bailouts.
This does not mean there are not badly paid people doing too much in the public sector. There are. And they should be protected.
It would be a good result if they instead cut 2 billion off the wage bill by targetting the over paid middle and senior levels.
And then put 1 billion back in to better pay the low level staff who deserve it.
That would defeat some of the argument of the Unions that by cutting any pay we are shrinking the economy.
It would be good to get more detail on the people who were working a 25 hour week and are now to go to a 37 hour week. If they were previously on the equivalent of full time 5 day a week salaries it will have been a joke that this was allowed. I suspect (hope) they were getting paid 25/39ths of a proper salary – in which case it is unfair they have to work 37 hours for 25 hours pay.
That is exactly the definition of austerity. Reducing a deficit via cuts to public expenditure and services.
Jebus, Labour is completely Donald ducked in the next general election. What happened to FF and the greens will be like a teddy bears picnic. What they are doing to ordinary public and private workers, self employed and non, is political suicide on a grand scale. I think this could be the end of the Labour party in Ireland. There will have to be a new Labour. Also the unions will go down the toilet. Its time for branch and root reform of the unions in this country, hopefully they will go the same way as Labour and we get a new working persons leadership with a bit of cajones. Even if they were to give me a payrise at this stage I have made up mind mind to leave the union. Put in the time now, work hard, wait for an upturn then go back to the private sector, its not worth the grief anymore.
If our glorious leaders where in the same SHITE as the rest of us this austerity . Would be over by now
I believe very few people in the public private or unemployed sectors begrudge the garda firefigfhters paramedics or nurses of this country the little extra they get for the job we do. They understand we work the hours days nights 24/7 365 that is needed to supply an emergency service to them. We miss day’s events and times in our family’s lives that can never be replaced. The people of Ireland have spoken they are behind their emergency services. Let no worker in this field be ashamed or embarrassed of the pay they receive they get it for the work they do protecting and serving their communities and nation as a whole day in day out in an ever decaying work envoi meant coupled with arduous conditions. I know of no firefigher garda nurse or paramedic that isn’t worth deserves or works for every penny their getting paid. The people know the job we do the hours we work and the things we sacrifice. We now need to stand united or fall dived and broke forever.
LRC is proposing public staff on a 25 hour week work a 37 hour week instead.
Cabinet to take a pay cut.
Highly paid civil servants to take a pay cut.
Sounding reasonable so far.
Hollande of France, paid 40k less than Enda Kenny! France 63 million people, Ireland 4 million+! Take a paycut of 30%, you shower of greedy idiots!
Excellent Article, the amazing part is the unions of the workers effected ( IFESA, NASRA, GRA etc) are prevented by ictu from joining talks even though under the Lisbon treaty anybody can represent another. This is to save the hurt going to the civil service! How will this country cope when the emergency services revolt because this is a very real reality. To any civil servants and the unions I ask this how can there be negotiations when people aren’t at the table? Tick boxes ,preformance charts and statistics don’t save lives
Very good piece. Two very important points made; firstly, why are we negotiating a deal when current CPA still in place? And secondly, the deafening silence in terms of public protest or dissent.
Not sure I’d agree with the idea of union leaders being too close to government though….
800k-1m have paid home tax. We need everyone to join the campaign and setup one mass protest!
Excellent article key points croake park 1 still has long way to run union’s have no mandate from their members to enter or attend these talks and the days when union officials who are paid separately from the people they represent discussing what cuts their members should take when it does not actually affect them is no longer acceptable the time for action from the members has come
These negotiations aren’t quite like the old days when the discussions were about how much to give away of the building bonanza taxes. It’s very easy to give away other people’s money, not so easy to take it back.
For all their blather over the last few years I have not heard our lecturer/commentariat class give taxpayers a reason as to why we pay our public sector so much more here than they do in countries that can actually balance their books. Might there even be a connection? We are now beyond bluff and bluster and it is no longer credible to ignore the elephant in the room even though they switched the “logic” light off years ago when it came to public sector wages.
Having said that attacking premium rates is totally unfair and disproportionately hard on the “working class” of the public sector as opposed to the members who never get off their couches in unsocial hours. It’s wrong headed and is yet another thing that is going to bite back at Labour in the next election. The words “dead” and “meat” come to mind….
Many of the items agreed in CP1 have yet to be implemented! I agreed to extend hours etc still not happened…. Try work with equipment that is out of date, fearing that you are going to be “hurt” day in/day out but worst lack of respect we get. I’ve managed to maintain a level of service until now but it’s on it’s knees. I honestly have no more to give. Try provide a quality service – it’s skeleton at best.
Previous national pay agreements were heralded as being national consensus for all workers when they were a cloak to push up public sector pay. Now there is no pretence that they are seeking to protect all workers. Unions, IBEC and Government “negotiators” are just as responsible as banks and developers for our bankrupt economy by grabbing as much as possible from the boom. This cosmetic negotiation process will no doubt produce a “deal” like Croke Park 1 with no measure against the key figure; the €13 billion current budget deficit.
Thomas see the bigger picture. As soon as they cut the public sector pay they will come after private pay, that is their plan. So if they succeed you are next.
I see your point Dwayne, however, I’m self employed and I would like to think that I could set my own remuneration but it’s a competitive global market and if I can’t compete I’m out of business. I’m not unsympathetic either, we must reduce our cost base as a country and that would go a long way to increasing our disposable income.
All of the ps here are saying the same thing – we need to tackle the system. A lot of us young (young at heart) – want to change. We are blocked in everyway.
Think about it. This Gov are negotiating to get workers UP TO A 37 hr Wk. Just 37!! WTF goes on in there? Twilight payments for the inconvenience of working past 6 pm? And this goon trying to defend it. The mind boggles..
I’m on 37.5hrs… I work an average 60hrs a week… These are all cuts, there is no reform. None. If you want to cut our pay, that’s fine. Make out jobs better. :-)
Isn’t Croke Park all about reform? What/ who is blocking it?
have your say