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Pay rise U-turn "too little, too late"
13.12.07
THE Cabinet decision to
defer the first part of their controversial pay rise
is "too little, too late", according to Senator
Pearse Doherty
He said he welcomed that the Government had
"succumbed to public pressure" and decided not to
accept their hefty pay hikes.
But he said the mere deferral of the increases for a
year does not go far enough.
"They should reject the pay rises. The fact remains
that Irish ministers are currently among the highest
paid elected representatives in Europe," he said.
"This, despite the current healthcare crisis,
slowing economy, under-resourced education system
and arguably one of the worst public transport
systems in the EU," said the Sinn Féin senator.
He warned the Government against "quietly" upping
their salaries in 2008.
"Deferring the pay hikes of €26,000 per year for a
minister and €38,000 for the Taoiseach is a cynical
move by an arrogant and tired cabinet.
"However if the Government believe that they will be
able to quietly up their salaries next year, they
have seriously misjudged the public's opinion on
this issue." |
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