Government fails to meet public service allowances targets -

Jaysoose

Talk about sharing the pain :rolleyes:.. 3.5 million saved out of 1.4 BILLION, fair play lads your playing a blinder. Still more talk of adjusting the allowances for incoming public servants but on the other hand there is a moratorium on at present.

So we still have increments being paid, next to no performance management and very little reform in the way of allowances being made.

When are we going to rip up this flawed agreement and admit its not working?


http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0918/govt-fails-to-meet-savings-targets.html


Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has said the Government's savings targets for 2012 for public service allowances and premium pay will not be met.
Mr Howlin said 1,100 allowances had been notified to his department and over 800 business cases were made for the retention of the payments.
The minister admitted that just €3.5m will be saved this year from cutting allowances paid to public servants.
The Government had planned to save €75m through the reform of allowances and premium payments.
Addressing the media following publication of the plans, Mr Howlin would not put a figure on how much was likely to be saved through reform of the premium payments system this year.
But he said the Government was looking at ways of getting closer to the €75m target.
He said the targeted savings were not included in the Budget arithmetic and the overall plan for savings on pay this year will be met and surpassed.
Mr Howlin said around a third of total allowances currently paid to incumbent public servants will no longer be paid to new entrants. He said a further €250m worth of allowances will be subject to modifications.
He said the Government had decided not to target some allowances as they were considered to be part of core pay.
Mr Howlin admitted that the only allowance for existing staff that will be abolished is the one for staff travelling to meetings abroad.
Asked about how savings could be made from new entrants when there was a recruitment embargo in place, Mr Howlin said he hoped the embargo would not be in place forever.
He added that there will be some limited recruitment happening in some sectors.
Minister Howlin said the public service is expected to be 292,000 by the end of this year, a reduction which is 2,000 ahead of target.
There will also be a standardised annual leave system in the public service with reduced leave benefits for promoted staff and new entrants.
The Government said that allowances are, and will continue to be, a normal part of the pay structure in the public service.
€1.4bn spent on allowances in 2011
Allowances and overtime cost €1.8bn in 2011, with €403m spent on overtime and €1.442bn spent on allowances.
That figure equates to 12% of overall public service pay costs of €15.4bn in 2012, which is 30% of the Government's current expenditure.
The Government said that the review of allowances aims to reduce the Exchequer pay bill by €3.8bn in the period 2009-2015.
Its target this year was to save 10% in overtime payments and 5% in allowances.
In 2011, the HSE had the highest level of overtime and allowances, €252m in overtime and €616m in allowances.
Education, excluding third level, had no overtime cost allocated, but €488m was spent on allowances in that year.
Garda overtime cost €90m with allowances amounting to €218m in 2011.
Several types of allowance paid to gardaí are to be abolished for new entrants, including rent allowance, clerical allowance and transport allowance.
The prison service spent €36m on overtime and €52m on allowances.
Cuts having 'disproportionate impact' on teachers
The Department of Education has argued that further reduction in allowances would make pay for teachers lower than other public servants.
In a document outlining the reasons for retaining a wide range of payments, the department said they are not allowances, but actually form part of the pay.
It said that the measures taken to date have had a disproportionate impact on new teachers.
The department also said the starting pay of new teachers had been reduced by 15% as opposed to 10% across the public service.
Overtime in the Defence Forces in 2011 amounted to €1m, while allowances amounted to €35m.
The business case documentation for the Army Ranger Wing allowance has been redacted.
Five pages covering extra payments to special forces soldiers are blanked out by thick black lines.

dubdamo

Just what we need, ANOTHER public service bashing forum. Tell you what, why don't you go into Mountjoy and work for a few months and see just how cushy being a public servant is. I'm out of here, could'nt be bothered with this crap,sick of it.

Morrisseeee

.................and that's why the country is up the shiiiiter :(:mad:

bamboozle

dubdamo wrote: »

Just what we need, ANOTHER public service bashing forum. Tell you what, why don't you go into Mountjoy and work for a few months and see just how cushy being a public servant is. I'm out of here, could'nt be bothered with this crap,sick of it.

did i miss something, are some people forced to work in the public service?

i'd have thought if someone was not happy with their job, pay and conditions they would want to move to a job where they'd be happy.

not long now before someone will post about 'an attack on the pay of the lower paid public service workers'

Jaysoose

dubdamo wrote: »

Just what we need, ANOTHER public service bashing forum. Tell you what, why don't you go into Mountjoy and work for a few months and see just how cushy being a public servant is. I'm out of here, could'nt be bothered with this crap,sick of it.

What are you sick of exactly? this is coming from the mouth of the minister in charge and is relevant to this forum.

syklops

You have to love the hypocritical oppositions response to this:

Opposition rally against government over public servant cut failure

Opposition parties are rallying against the government over its failure to implement cuts to allowances paid to public servants.

Yesterday it emerged that just one out of over 800 allowances paid to existing public servants will be cut.

The Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin said he will not reach his target of €75m in savings this year - instead just €3.5m in cuts will be implemented.

Fianna Fáil described it as "a stunning example of the government's litany of broken promises".

Sinn Féin is calling for a full list of public service allowances to be made public and debated.

However, the party's Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald insists that big savings will not be made simply by snipping public service allowances: "He needs to target those at the upper echelons of the public sector and needs to reduce their wages. It is as simple as that.

"I want to stress you are talking about a limited number of people in the service but nonetheless it's people like government secreataries and advisers, who in this time are earning salaries which cannot be defended."

I especially love this bit:

However, the party's Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald insists that big savings will not be made simply by snipping public service allowances: "He needs to target those at the upper echelons of the public sector and needs to reduce their wages. It is as simple as that.

Thanks Mary Lou for your input. Unfortunately there is this legally-binding document which the previous government signed which makes reducing wages of Public Sector employees rather tricky. Luckily that document expires in 2014, just in time for you and FF to start campaigning for the General Election, and I wouldnt be surprised if the people eat up everything you say.

Deise Vu

According to Chris Donoghue on Newstalk there is an allowance in the CSO for changing photocopier ink cartridges. Apparently this saves money as they would have to call in the OPW to do it otherwise.

Comment on that particular allowance is superfluous. I would love to see the chronological order in which the 1,150 allowances were introduced. There have always been uniform allowances etc for Gardaí but I suspect the bulk of the allowances are additional benchmarking to buy industrial peace that was already supposedly bought with national pay agreements. It has the added benefit of disguising the real levels of salary.

Every allowance should be examined and either scrapped immediately or added to basic pay for transparency (a simple method would be to scrap anything introduced after the year 2000). An acceptable salary is meant to be one which attracts the right candidates in enough numbers. Whoever heard of a job where there is a load of add-ons above the advertised salary? Ridiculous really.

bbam

dubdamo wrote: »

Just what we need, ANOTHER public service bashing forum. Tell you what, why don't you go into Mountjoy and work for a few months and see just how cushy being a public servant is. I'm out of here, could'nt be bothered with this crap,sick of it.

This shouldn't be another PS bashing thread, and no most of us wouldn't dream of working in Mountjoy, I tip my hat to those that do..

This is yet another thread about a government that is failing or renaguing on promise after promise..
I'm gone past being disappointed, past being angry..

Politics is stuffed, I had no hopes at all for this shower from the start, but in reality they were the last chance we had to make a significant change to the way business is done, and they are failing miserably!! When pigs get to the trough they just cant help themselves from gorging on the swill..

Come the next election it will be chaos, there will be no party worth voting for that have any decent moral ground to stand on for an election campaign... it really will be a matter of "vote for us.. we're not just as bad as the other shower"

spank_inferno

No one can be surprised by this surely?

No one should think for a second that the government & the PS unions are on opposite sides of the table.
Reality is, they are both on the same team.

The other side is us... the saps who have to pay for them all.

cdb

Deise Vu wrote: »

According to Chris Donoghue on Newstalk there is an allowance in the CSO for changing photocopier ink cartridges. Apparently this saves money as they would have to call in the OPW to do it otherwise.

Comment on that particular allowance is superfluous. I would love to see the chronological order in which the 1,150 allowances were introduced. There have always been uniform allowances etc for Gardaí but I suspect the bulk of the allowances are additional benchmarking to buy industrial peace that was already supposedly bought with national pay agreements. It has the added benefit of disguising the real levels of salary.

Every allowance should be examined and either scrapped immediately or added to basic pay for transparency (a simple method would be to scrap anything introduced after the year 2000). An acceptable salary is meant to be one which attracts the right candidates in enough numbers. Whoever heard of a job where there is a load of add-ons above the advertised salary? Ridiculous really.

Another allowance mentioned on Newstalk this morning was €34 per week to use a franking machine. Seriously.

bamboozle

cdb wrote: »

Another allowance mentioned on Newstalk this morning was €34 per week to use a franking machine. Seriously.

1) Staff at Chester Beatty Library get a box making allowance of €15-20 per box
2) Receptionists at the HSA gets €2400 on top of salary to guarantee to answer phone 9-5 Mon - Fri.

Head The Wall

dubdamo wrote: »

Just what we need, ANOTHER public service bashing forum. Tell you what, why don't you go into Mountjoy and work for a few months and see just how cushy being a public servant is. I'm out of here, could'nt be bothered with this crap,sick of it.

What an idiotic comment. It was actually the govt that set these targets and when they fail to achieve them nobody is allowed to comment on it. Do you honestly believe that only one allowance out of 1100 could be gotten rid off and his facetious comment then about making the savings via new entrants when there is a hiring moratorium on. It's all a joke

Chris_5339762

Well I'm a public servant and I do not get one single allowance, apart from the odd bit of travel expense when I fight bitterly to be allowed to go to a conference/training event that I feel will improve my performance and contribute to patient care.

Just so you know all public servants aren't absolutely creaming the system. And yes, most of these stupid allowances should be cut straight off. But now we're having our stationary restricted due to budget cuts so if I want a new stapler I have to waste everyones time and wages getting a request form signed off. Absolutely ridiculous.

Sleepy

Is there any word on Shane Ross's proposed new party? Presuming they'd be right wing...

I'm losing what little faith I had in Fine Gael. They've allowed their junior partners and the unions to beat them into submission in an almost masochistic fashion at this stage...

bbsrs

Is there a list of the 1100 allowances , I'd like to read through them as I have some time to kill .

Tigerandahalf

Come on now. Some people fall easily for the gov spin. The gov signed a deal with the unions. An agreement was made not to cut pay in return for savings. The gov knows full well they couldnt cut allowances as they are regarded as part of core pay. They were never going to be cut. Did Howlin release any info on why TDs expenses are not being cut or vouched for or why they get a brand new phone every 2 years or the other perks they get. Did he release any figures on how much ex TDs and ministers are getting in pensions even though they arent near retirement age. No thought not. The gov knows full well they cant be the ones to renege on an agreement. Another story tomorrow to get enraged on.

Head The Wall

I think everyone is aware that not all PS get these allowances but they still account for 12% of the pay bill for the year.

Take for example the Receptionist Allowance for the Health and safety Authority. This person is getting an allowance because they have to work set hours and can't work flexi time. This is ridiculous, they are getting an allowance because they don't get a perk.

It's amazing how the allowance (2400) is just below what they claim it would cost to get an agency to cover the post although to me it seems like 2500 is a lot for 18 days receptionist cover.

Head The Wall

It's in the OP

http://per.gov.ie/review-of-public-sector-allowances-and-premium-payments-business-cases-submitted-for-review/

Sleepy

Would be nice to see the completed questionnaires...

Tigerandahalf

Many of the allowances are there from way back in time. After a while they were just considered part of the salary. Most of them are very small anyway and are under the 2k mark. Howlin has already given an indication that these allowances will be incorporated into core salary pay.
If some allowances should be cut fair enough but most of them are already considered part of core pay.

Sleepy

Well then: include them in core pay, scrap them (reducing administration costs) and benchmark their entire remuneration package (incl. pension and any perkst) on those new salaries against genuinely comparable private sector positions (where such exist e.g. admin/receptionist type roles need another mechanism for incomparable positions such as guardai, prison wardens etc.).

Allow for this bench-marking to work both ways: if any employee earning below 100k is genuinely doing a role that they'd achieve more for in the private sector, award them a raise (subject to the 100k max) and for the others, apply the necessary paycuts.

Or is all of that just too damn sensible?

Diarmuid

The fact that we are 5 years into a fiscal crisis, racked up billions in debt with no end in sight, and yet, a government with an overwhelming majority, has managed to cut a single allowance from 1000, while continuing to pay out pay rises in both astonishing and depressing.
I guess Bertie Ahern really did set the blueprint for all future politicians on how to "reform" the government.

Welease

Diarmuid wrote: »

The fact that we are 5 years into a fiscal crisis, racked up billions in debt with no end in sight, and yet, a government with an overwhelming majority, has managed to cut a single allowance from 1000, while continuing to pay out pay rises in both astonishing and depressing.
I guess Bertie Ahern really did set the blueprint for all future politicians on how to "reform" the government.

Or this country could wake up the fact that the bulk of people only want reform that doesn't negatively affect them, and will vote out any government that attempts to reform them.

The government are well aware of this.....

Jaysoose

A quick scan through these "business cases" makes for very worrying reading. Theses are not business cases in any real sense they seem to be very vague and have no detailed numbers within the language. Take for example the "footwear Allowance" for civil servants €65 a year for footwear for certain grades..the numbers used are "it is unlikely that there are more than a couple of hundred officers/attendents who would qualify so the cost of the allowance would be small".

Can somebody explain to what part of this is a business case? No real numbers or investigation into who even gets the allowance and this is accepted as a business case?

http://per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/Business-Case-Footwear.pdf

These make for very worrying reading indeed and show us a real insight into the minds of managers within the public service.

Farmer Pudsey

bbsrs wrote: »

Is there a list of the 1100 allowances , I'd like to read through them as I have some time to kill .

While 1100 thousand allowances is huge in number it was silly of the government to think that they could target same and make large savings. Some of these allowances are in the part of general pay and there removal would have reduced pay in certain area's disapportionally. In the case of nurse's guards and prision officiers part of there pay was allowance's for working Sunday's, Bank Holidays and over Christmas. Other allowances such as travel expenses or meal allowances are necessary to recompence people who have to travel and stay away from home such as Ordinance Surveyors. These make up the bulk of allowances.

Yes there is an issue with some such as the boxmaking allowance or forklift allowance however it was silly of the government to think that this was an area where substantcial savings could be made. Massive cuts in allowances would of render specialist job's unfillable without recruitment and new recruits may not have the experience to work as a District Nurse for example or a dectetive in the serious crime or drug squads.

It is the corner that this government continually paints itself into with its refusal to consider blankets cuts to puiblic service pay and welfare. these are often less unfair as everyone suffers the same and new recruits are not targeted and massive saving can be attained.

There is something wrong when consulatnts have managed to hold onto massive pay and concede to work over weekends. In any Private company and even in area's of the Civil/Public service people generally on this type of money and less than it are on salarys that often oblige them to be available 24/7 and they do not get overtime.

i believe that the government are leaving themselves open to a discrimation lawsuit over new employees like Army Deafness etc which could see new recruits get large sums 10 years down the line.

Palmach

Not soon enough. I doubt it will happen. We seem to be stuck with FG as the only right wing party and at that they are pretty limp about it. This country needs a proper fiscal conservative party who'd bone in the job.

syklops

Sleepy wrote: »

Is there any word on Shane Ross's proposed new party? Presuming they'd be right wing...

I'm losing what little faith I had in Fine Gael. They've allowed their junior partners and the unions to beat them into submission in an almost masochistic fashion at this stage...

All Shane Ross has done in recent times is bitch and moan and snipe at the sitting government and has offered very few solutions of his own.

spank_inferno

syklops wrote: »

All Shane Ross has done in recent times is bitch and moan and snipe at the sitting government and has offered very few solutions of his own.

You are incorrect, Ross has suggested sensible alternatives to many issues.

OldNotWIse

bamboozle wrote: »

did i miss something, are some people forced to work in the public service?

i'd have thought if someone was not happy with their job, pay and conditions they would want to move to a job where they'd be happy.

not long now before someone will post about 'an attack on the pay of the lower paid public service workers'

Yes, they are forced in at an early age and never allowed to leave. Nobody is allowed to question their performance or pay without being accused of being a public sector basher.

syklops

spank_inferno wrote: »

You are incorrect, Ross has suggested sensible alternatives to many issues.

Such as?

Lumbo

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Well I'm a public servant and I do not get one single allowance, apart from the odd bit of travel expense when I fight bitterly to be allowed to go to a conference/training event that I feel will improve my performance and contribute to patient care.

Just so you know all public servants aren't absolutely creaming the system. And yes, most of these stupid allowances should be cut straight off. But now we're having our stationary restricted due to budget cuts so if I want a new stapler I have to waste everyones time and wages getting a request form signed off. Absolutely ridiculous.

+1. I'm 11 years in the public sector and have never received an allowance.

However, reading the list of allowances makes it very difficult to defend them. I can't understand why the government isn't prepared to abolish the ones that are no longer relevant. If the can't get agreement, go to the Labour Court and and let them make the judgement. IMO they do not make up Core Pay as outlined in the Croke Park agreement.

bijapos

Sleepy wrote: »

Is there any word on Shane Ross's proposed new party? Presuming they'd be right wing...

........ Right wing economically, populist, blame everyone for their own self made problems, ranting and short sighted with perfect 20:20 vision in hindsight.

They'll do well but it's just the kind of party we don't need.

Sleepy

TBH, I'd almost argue that at this point we don't need a party, we need a warrior king or an emergency technocrat cabinet...

That said, any alternative right-wing party would be about as much as one could hope for in Irish politics. If they managed to have enough members elected to bolster Fine Gael and wag the dog, who knows what could happen...

syklops

Sleepy wrote: »

TBH, I'd almost argue that at this point we don't need a party, we need a warrior king or an emergency technocrat cabinet...

That said, any alternative right-wing party would be about as much as one could hope for in Irish politics. If they managed to have enough members elected to bolster Fine Gael and wag the dog, who knows what could happen...

The only party that would be effective right now is one whose main policy is political suicide. A party which made all the cuts that need to be made would not return to power in our lifetime.

Head The Wall

Lumbo wrote: »

+1. I'm 11 years in the public sector and have never received an allowance.

However, reading the list of allowances makes it very difficult to defend them. I can't understand why the government isn't prepared to abolish the ones that are no longer relevant. If the can't get agreement, go to the Labour Court and and let them make the judgement. IMO they do not make up Core Pay as outlined in the Croke Park agreement.

True, in every one of the allowances under the guards section this question is asked

(2) Is the allowance cost effective/represent value for money? and the answer under every one is

"This allowance is both cost effective and represents value for money"

They also fail to include the actual cost/spend of some of the more contentious allowances.



I also don't get why people receive an allowance because they can't receive allowances that other people get, if I can't do overtime at work then it's tough crap but if I was in the PS I would effectively get paid an allowance for not doing overtime. That is crazy but it's what's happening in the PS

aloyisious

Sleepy wrote: »

TBH, I'd almost argue that at this point we don't need a party, we need a warrior king or an emergency technocrat cabinet...

That said, any alternative right-wing party would be about as much as one could hope for in Irish politics. If they managed to have enough members elected to bolster Fine Gael and wag the dog, who knows what could happen...

Angela???

Gumbo

Head The Wall wrote: »

I also don't get why people receive an allowance because they can't receive allowances that other people get, if I can't do overtime at work then it's tough crap but if I was in the PS I would effectively get paid an allowance for not doing overtime. That is crazy but it's what's happening in the PS

Im in the PS.
I cant and dont get OT.
I dont get an allowance for that.

creedp

Head The Wall wrote: »

True, in every one of the allowances under the guards section this question is asked

(2) Is the allowance cost effective/represent value for money? and the answer under every one is

"This allowance is both cost effective and represents value for money"

They also fail to include the actual cost/spend of some of the more contentious allowances.



I also don't get why people receive an allowance because they can't receive allowances that other people get, if I can't do overtime at work then it's tough crap but if I was in the PS I would effectively get paid an allowance for not doing overtime. That is crazy but it's what's happening in the PS

I agree with all you say except the last statement because it implies that all PS receive an allowance if they don't do overtime. Patently not true. If people have a problem with specific allowances, and there are many allowances that are simply inexcusable and indefensible, then they should target the area of PS where they apply and not simply repeat the tired old phraseology beginning with "All"

ArmaniJeanss

syklops wrote: »

The only party that would be effective right now is one whose main policy is political suicide. A party which made all the cuts that need to be made would not return to power in our lifetime.

Ancient civilizations' policy of using the at-death-doors village elders as their leaders does have some merit.

OldNotWIse

bamboozle wrote: »

1) Staff at Chester Beatty Library get a box making allowance of €15-20 per box
2) Receptionists at the HSA gets €2400 on top of salary to guarantee to answer phone 9-5 Mon - Fri.

In my company, that's called a job, and thats what annual pay is for...why are people getting an extra allowance for doing the job they are there for in the first place? Imagine if my boss said "we're giving you 30k a year to do your job, byt we will also give you a bonus of 2,500 if you really promise to do your job" - eh?

creedp

OldNotWIse wrote: »

In my company, that's called a job, and thats what annual pay is for...why are people getting an extra allowance for doing the job they are there for in the first place? Imagine if my boss said "we're giving you 30k a year to do your job, byt we will also give you a bonus of 2,500 if you really promise to do your job" - eh?

Certainly one of the many indefensible allowances .. ffs how can you be given an allowance to do your job during normal working hours? Again though how widespread is this practice? I have to say Mr Howlin can have no credibility coming out calling on people to take cuts in this current difficult climate when he can't make a decision to remove a €2,500 pa allowance on top of a salary for the job to actually do the job. He needs to sit back now and reflect before he revisits this issue and get rid of these indefensible allowances. Otherwise the words "laughing stock" come to mind

syklops

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Ancient civilizations' policy of using the at-death-doors village elders as their leaders does have some merit.

I think the problem here is we are not at deaths door. Things are bad, but thats all.

honestwork

I am a public servant and work in a small team delivering a vital emergency service. I am very consious of the need to deliver value for money to the taxpayer who is paying for this service. I am aware of what amounts to fraud going on within this small team (allowances being falsely claimed by one individual). I have raised this matter with the team leader who rather than deal with the problem has let the offender know that i complained and thus caused a bad working environment within the team.
While the amount of money involved is relatively small (10,000 euro per annum) i believe this abuse of allowances may be taking place in numerous teams around the country. What is the next step i should take as i want to be able to take pride in being part of a team that is 100% honest as regards pay and allowances and delivers the best possible value for money.

uncle_sam_ie

OldNotWIse wrote: »

In my company, that's called a job, and thats what annual pay is for...why are people getting an extra allowance for doing the job they are there for in the first place? Imagine if my boss said "we're giving you 30k a year to do your job, byt we will also give you a bonus of 2,500 if you really promise to do your job" - eh?

Is your company open 24/7 every day of the year?

OldNotWIse

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

Is your company open 24/7 every day of the year?

Clearly not. Whats your point? Are you implying that the receptionists in question have to work 24/7 every day of the year?

spank_inferno

honestwork wrote: »

I am a public servant and work in a small team delivering a vital emergency service. I am very consious of the need to deliver value for money to the taxpayer who is paying for this service. I am aware of what amounts to fraud going on within this small team (allowances being falsely claimed by one individual). I have raised this matter with the team leader who rather than deal with the problem has let the offender know that i complained and thus caused a bad working environment within the team.
While the amount of money involved is relatively small (10,000 euro per annum) i believe this abuse of allowances may be taking place in numerous teams around the country. What is the next step i should take as i want to be able to take pride in being part of a team that is 100% honest as regards pay and allowances and delivers the best possible value for money.

As valiant as that sounds, I think you should keep your head down and get on with your own job & career as best you can.

You alread raised it with a TL and they failed to act. Consider it a 'culture problem' and move on.

uncle_sam_ie

OldNotWIse wrote: »

Clearly not. Whats your point? Are you implying that the receptionists in question have to work 24/7 every day of the year?

No, but Nurse and the Garda do.

creedp

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

Is your company open 24/7 every day of the year?

If a company/organisation public or private is working on a 24/7 basis, its employees are already on a shift allowance/overtime arrangement. Are you suggesting that these HTA people are working 24/7 for an allowance of €2.5k on top of basic salary?

OldNotWIse

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

No, but Nurse and the Garda do.

First off, we are talking about a receptionist being given an allowance for doing their prescribed job, not nurses and gardai.

Secondly, even though we have to have nurses and gardai on duty all the time, this doesn't mean every individual nurse and guard has to work 24/7

Nobody is being asked to work 24/7

Nobody should be given an allowance for doing the job they are already paid to do.

uncle_sam_ie

OldNotWIse wrote: »

First off, we are talking about a receptionist being given an allowance for doing their prescribed job, not nurses and gardai.

Secondly, even though we have to have nurses and gardai on duty all the time, this doesn't mean every individual nurse and guard has to work 24/7

Nobody is being asked to work 24/7

Nobody should be given an allowance for doing the job they are already paid to do.

So you don't think they are entitled to allowances for working overtime, nights, weekends or holidays?

OldNotWIse

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

So you don't think they are entitled to allowances for working overtime, nights, weekends or holidays?

Er....what posts are you reading?

I'm reading the ones that say they are being paid to do their normal jobs (9-5)