Well done Gardai

Paulzx

The GRA has just announced that its members would be delighted to take a pay freeze.

I'd like to thank all the Gardai on Boards for their patriotic sacrifice:D


Maybe they'll leave the firemen alone now;)

SV

Source?

that's terrible.

Paulzx

Heard it on Radio 1 news

eroo

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0115/pensions.html

metman

GRA will accept pay freeze

Thursday, 15 January 2009 15:46

The union representing gardaí have said its members are willing to accept a pay freeze but not a pay cut.

The Garda Representative Association made the remarks as the union met with Government officials this afternoon. General Secretary PJ Stone ruled out-of-hand a pay cut. Mr Stone said already cutbacks within the force have affected the ability of An Garda Siochána to deliver frontline services. He said the GRA is extremely disappointed that the issue of a pay cut has not been addressed by Government to allay the fears of members. Gardai were being harassed, assaulted, complained about, threatened and shot, he said commitment like that cannot be obliterated by a Government decision to cut pay, he said. Mr Stone added that he hoped the Government did not bring gardaí to the precipice in respect of their role and function as guardians of the constitution, he added that gardaí will not tolerate an arbitrary decision to cut pay.

The GRA said that IBEC was being opportunistic in calling for the abolition of Defined Benefit Schemes for public servants. PJ Stone said level heads are required given the present situation but he said measures to save money cannot go as far as a pay cut.

Earlier employers' group IBEC called for an end to the provision of defined benefit pensions for newly-employed nurses, gardaí, teachers and other public sector workers. It is one of a number of measures that IBEC has proposed to control public expenditure. IBEC also wants the Government to cap the level of the State contribution into the pension funds of public sector workers. It says the cost of funding the public sector pension's bill needs to be more transparent.

IBEC says that if savings for the public purse cannot be achieved by cutting the public sector pay bill then it is time to cut the cost of funding the retirement of what it estimates as 370,000 State employees. It says the cost of funding the public sector pay and pensions this year will account for around 51% of the country's tax take.

The group says existing provisions, which are more generous to those employed before 1995, must be eliminated and that new employees would pay into a defined contribution scheme rather than a defined benefit scheme. IBEC also says it is time to publish more detail into how much public sector pensions cost.

Source

Sierra Oscar

Forget about pay freezes, that has to be done at this stage - will they support a cut? Will they give into IBEC's demand for an end to the provision of defined benefit pensions for newly-employed gardaí?

Paulzx

Any union or representative association that agrees to implement anything that IBEC suggests is guilty of shafting the people it represents. I am in no way a rabid, socialist, union diehard. In fact i have as much problems with some of our unions as i do with management.

However IBEC represents the elitist, big business establishment that has no interest in ordinary workers. Its only role is to feather the nest of its corporate members

FGR

I think we'll see an end to the rock solid contracts that exist in the Public Sector..barring TDs of course.

As for the pay freeze - I know the Government will want more. That'll mean a complete freeze including increments. So it still puts my house plan on hold.

For the good of the country, if it happens.

ScubaDave

If they cut my money.... ill cut their....?

the locust

I think any cuts should be taken from the top... td's and ministers, also have you seen the salaries of chiefs, ac's and commissioner ranks?? i think they could cover the cut for everyone without breaking a sweat

seanybiker

Ya wont see TD's doing this, the fookers.poor cops but fair play to them

yayamark

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Will they give into IBEC's demand for an end to the provision of defined benefit pensions for newly-employed gardaí?

What are these? excuse my complete ignorance.

Paulzx

A defined benefit pension means you are guaranteed a certain percentage of your final salary as a pension. All gardai at present have a defined benefit pension. You probably retire at 50% salary once you have full years of service ( some of the gardai on here will confirm that )


Defined contribution means you put a set percentage of your salary each week into a pension fundwhich is invested. When you retire you are dependant on how that fund has performed over the years as regards the level of pension you can draw down.

Changing to a defined contribution would be a huge backward step in conditions for new Gardai joining.



Came across this article in the Irish Times today
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0115/1231974456219.html

They're after our night and weekend allowances now.:mad:


I can handle a pay freeze or even a pay cut across the public service but to target workers on unsocial hours allowances on top of that is unacceptable.

I would find it very hard to see us allowing them to take any of our night allowance without a serious fight:mad::mad:

FGR

The private sector wants our heads, people. I better go hide my Aston Martin :rolleyes:

brendansmith

seanybiker wrote: »

Ya wont see TD's doing this, the fookers.poor cops but fair play to them

Yes you will.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has announced he is taking a 5% pay cut next year, as a symbolic gesture.

http://www.irishelection.com/10/enda-kennys-pay-cut/

TheNog

brendansmith wrote: »

Yes you will.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has announced he is taking a 5% pay cut next year, as a symbolic gesture.

http://www.irishelection.com/10/enda-kennys-pay-cut/

That article says it all really. Kenny offers to take a 5% cut in wages but he earns 90k where IBEC wants us to take a 10% but we are on 30-40k.

No comparision

hierro

A freeze on increments mentioned too...

I'll be a €27,000 euro a year mule for god knows how long if this gets through. An economist from UCD reckons that if it took ten years to get to where we are at the moment it will take 10 years to get out of it. With that much optimism out there I might as well hand in the P-45 and go on the defined benefit package that is the dole.

deadwood

I wonder if they introduced a 10% cut in the dole for a person who has taken no reasonable steps to seek employment, what would the reaction be?

djtechnics1210

+1 deadwood
Should be like new york.... dole for 6 months,,, if your too lazy and don't bother getting a job.... starve and be homeless.
Too many people in ireland have the dole as a job.... with brand new 30k cars outside their social houses.... sure why would ya work. No wonder the country is broke

pipsqueak

djtechnics1210 wrote: »

+1 deadwood
Should be like new york.... dole for 6 months,,, if your too lazy and don't bother getting a job.... starve and be homeless.
Too many people in ireland have the dole as a job.... with brand new 30k cars outside their social houses.... sure why would ya work. No wonder the country is broke

dont forget about the medical card, rental allowance , chiilders allowance, esb allowance, christmas lights outside the house alllowance, any other one im leaving out?? oh yea and dont forget about the st vincent de paul application to get a few drinkies for the crimbo!

Sully

TheNog wrote: »

That article says it all really. Kenny offers to take a 5% cut in wages but he earns 90k where IBEC wants us to take a 10% but we are on 30-40k.

No comparision

Better then nothing though.

Eru

Rely on Deadwood to voice what were all thinking.

Lads, I said it before. Quit your job, sell your house and go on the dole. then you get a house the state pays for, reduced bills, more cash in your pocket and you get to stay in bed for as long as you want while dreaming about a free pension that you contributed absolutely nothing to!

Of course, I am genuinely not condemning those that lose their jobs, they need temporary help and we should provide it but we all know that theres thousands on the dole and have never had any intention of getting a job. In fact, I spent Christmas morning freezing my ass off in a certain estate while they all slept soundly in their beds, in their free houses with their satelite dishes attached and cars in the driveway that are newer than mine!

But I think a freeze is a decent compromise for all fronts and while there has been a lot of talk I was genuinely surprised and delighted to hear so many members of the public on radio defending ES staff and the work we do.

MissLeed

city4life wrote: »

i dont min a pay freeze on bench making etc, but not on increments....i'm due another in june, better get it the ****ers

I know how you feel I am in public service and just got another increase and won't mind a freeze if it's necessary but for the work the gardai do I don't think it's fair. Sorry about nattering on but the garda in my district are my hero's (well, almost all !) and from what I know they hardly earn enough to keep a bird alive...

TheNog

Sully wrote: »

Better then nothing though.

I'd like to keep my 3-4k a year whereas Kenny would hardly miss his

Sully

TheNog wrote: »

I'd like to keep my 3-4k a year whereas Kenny would hardly miss his

Well I think Kenny was calling more for a pay freeze rather then cut in your area. In general though, any cut is a welcomed cut. Though I agree it would be a lot better if Kenny or someone took a much bigger cut in his wage.

ScubaDave

Dont forget all of Kenny's expenses!

hayyman

ScubaDave wrote: »

Dont forget all of Kenny's expenses!

Lets cut some TD's, Does this country really need or want all the TD's that we have,

MissLeed

hayyman wrote: »

Lets cut some TD's, Does this country really need or want all the TD's that we have,

I love it!:D

dredre

pipsqueak wrote: »

christmas lights outside the house alllowance

I am particularly fond of that one!

johnnyskeleton

Paulzx wrote: »

The GRA has just announced that its members would be delighted to take a pay freeze.

I'd like to thank all the Gardai on Boards for their patriotic sacrifice

I'd rather thank the publicans who have imposed a freeze on the price of a pint or the developers who tried to impose a house price freeze.

Paulzx wrote: »

However IBEC represents the elitist, big business establishment that has no interest in ordinary workers. Its only role is to feather the nest of its corporate members

Eru wrote: »

But I think a freeze is a decent compromise for all fronts and while there has been a lot of talk I was genuinely surprised and delighted to hear so many members of the public on radio defending ES staff and the work we do.

It's not a question of public v. private, business v. workers, or whether gardai are well paid or not. The central issue is this - the government doesn't have enough money to pay for all its commitments. This means it has to raise money from somewhere or else make cuts. It can't raise enough money on a sustainable level, so unless it makes cuts the country will go bankrupt. If the gardai get a better deal that other public sector employees that's great, but the reality is that cuts have to be made across the board in the public sector. Also discussed here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055464743

trentf

hayyman wrote: »

Lets cut some TD's, Does this country really need or want all the TD's that we have,

Yeah like the td's are going to vote for that to happen to themselves.

All the suggestions so far are missing the main gangsters and crooks of society...

those talkin bout cutting the dole would only be harming those weakest in society(barr the abusers of the system that is) but what about these bankers (not naming names). So wait your solution to the problem is to cut off the funding for the most weak and give it to who exactly? the capitalist bankers who issue bailout after bailout request whilst they swivel people's pensions and retire to their yaught off the coast of spain with their billions.


These people as we now see on the news are resigning on masse overtheir abuses of power, wealth, financial mismanagement that makes j.p morgan's activities look like a stroll in the park and has left this and many other countries bankrupt. See the public is looking at them now and the politicians(just as corrupt) are looking to scapegoat them.

If you want to point out the real people responsible for this mess look no futher then the swindlers that are bankers and politicians. They go hand in hand really. Of course as always the average folks and civil sector employees get hit with the bill to pay.

hayyman

trentf wrote: »

Yeah like the td's are going to vote for that to happen to themselves.

All the suggestions so far are missing the main gangsters and crooks of society...

those talkin bout cutting the dole would only be harming those weakest in society(barr the abusers of the system that is) but what about these bankers (not naming names). So wait your solution to the problem is to cut off the funding for the most weak and give it to who exactly? the capitalist bankers who issue bailout after bailout request whilst they swivel people's pensions and retire to their yaught off the coast of spain with their billions.


These people as we now see on the news are resigning on masse overtheir abuses of power, wealth, financial mismanagement that makes j.p morgan's activities look like a stroll in the park and has left this and many other countries bankrupt. See the public is looking at them now and the politicians(just as corrupt) are looking to scapegoat them.

If you want to point out the real people responsible for this mess look no futher then the swindlers that are bankers and politicians. They go hand in hand really. Of course as always the average folks and civil sector employees get hit with the bill to pay.

Yes where is that banker manager that got them loans and what is the goverment going to do to get that money back :mad:

Eru

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

It's not a question of public v. private, business v. workers, or whether gardai are well paid or not. The central issue is this - the government doesn't have enough money to pay for all its commitments. This means it has to raise money from somewhere or else make cuts. It can't raise enough money on a sustainable level, so unless it makes cuts the country will go bankrupt. If the gardai get a better deal that other public sector employees that's great, but the reality is that cuts have to be made across the board in the public sector. Also discussed here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055464743

Its a question of where they get the money from, studs and artists are still exempt from tax. the higher tax band has not been increased, dole has not been decreased and banks are not having to hand over any larger percentage even if this year or next they break the billion profit mark. Builders are taxed the same as eveyone else despite making very large profits for the guts of a decade.

Then you have people getting off without paying their full legal expences after costing the state millions to begin with, theres people living and working in Ireland claiming they live in other areas and therefore not paying any tax.

On a smaller scale we are one of the few countries where foreign drivers dont pay road tax and now they dont pay for the m50 toll either!

I agree with you that the simple reality is the state needs to bring in money before it goes out. My problem is with how they are going about doing that and why the public sector is being told to hand back 5% but the private sector is not. Anyone in the private sector that does take a cut is because their company will go bust otherwise. Name one private sector company thats cutting wages and prices simple for 'the public good'?