Mary Hanafin on Barack Obama


Custom and practice cuts both ways.
If a private sector company gave 4 uncertified sick days for 80 years but suddenly stopped giving them with the excuse that it was not in the contract would the unions be OK with that?
 
Fair point; it should have been flagged in advance.


I have three children, one with special needs. I find your tactic of introducing emotive sound bites that do nothing to support your arguments (since their root cause can be attributed to either side of the debate) deeply offensive as they imply that those who do not support the “bottomless pit” model of state funding are somehow heartless and not concerned for the children of the nation.



Agreed.


There you go again. We both agree that services are being cut, that’s not the issue. I am of the opinion that in a shrinking economy facing what is possible the biggest downturn in its history it is not reasonable or logical to expect big spending increases in public services. I therefore find it reasonable and logical to ask state employees (and those paid by the state) to forego some of their pay increases rather than cut services.
I know that if faced with the option of sacking 10% of a workforce and giving the remainder a 10% pay increase or keeping everyone and leaving their pay the same the employees of most private sector SME’s would opt for the latter. Why is this not the case with the public service?



Try comparing the salary of the average school principal with the average bank manager. I don't get phone calls from my bank manager at 9.30 pm at night, but I have got calls from the principal at that time.
My bank manager has called me on Saturday and Sunday. He’s at his desk ‘till at least 6.00 every evening and starts at 8.00am. That’s not to say that I think school principals are overpaid; it always struck me that they have all of the downside of being a teacher with few of the up-sides (and they are in charge of a group of highly unionised subordinates over which they have almost no sanction).

I have no source other than my own observations and contacts with other SME’s on a day-to-day basis, the massive increase in CV’s that we get and the customers, competitors and suppliers who have gone out of business.
Are you suggesting that the tens of billions in public sector pay increases have not (at the very least) contributed to our current problems?
 
Any competent professional will ensure that they get fair remuneration for the job in hand. It is unprofessional and unsustainable to rollover to every request for additional services for no extra fee.

They were not asked for any additional service; they demanded extra pay for something that they provided as part of their job for 80 years. I really don’t know how anyone could defend such a cynical and selfish tactic. We all know it was a BS claim to get a pay increase that was even higher than the benchmarking increases.
 
I don't do 'implications'. You are attacking me for views that you have 'implied' from my posts, rather than anything I have actually said. This is unacceptable to me, and I would suggest once more that you review your use of 'empty-headed' and 'ill-thought out' in last night's post.