Rabidlamb wrote: » Were what, 2 or 3 years into austerity & according to comments on the radio yesterday we are still taking in €30 billion & spending €50 billion. What happened to the €3 billion savings that were being made last budget & the ones before it. Why do we seem to be getting nowhere ?.
Cookie_Monster wrote: » because no one in government has the balls to stand up and make the required cuts to PS pay, welfare, the HSE and all the rest of the waste.
fliball123 wrote: » Numerous reasons the interest on the loans to repaid has to be factored in and PS pay increments have gobbled up the majority of what was saved via PS wage cuts. Also the increase in taxes has had the opposite to the desired effect. People are spending less on goods so not as much made in that type of tax and with people losing their jobs and emmigrating Income tax has stayed static even after the tax being increased.
Rabidlamb wrote: » Say what now, are the grade increases still in effect, were these not stalled as part of the CPA. If not the whole thing's a joke, on us.
spank_inferno wrote: » Well it is reducing, however the pace is slow. I think I seen figures projecting a defecit for 2011 of 16-18 billion? In a nutshell, spending has not really reduced by any major amount. Revenues are depressed because people are either not earning or earning somewhat less and the margins of household budgets are tighter. The governments tax raising efforts will be slightly negated by lower VAT returns from a populace with less money to spend
fliball123 wrote: » No but within the grades annual increments are ongoing costing accoring to Minister Noonan 1/4 of a billion a year...So we started the austerity what 4 years ago so the wage has crept back up by about a billion...So say your a grade 5 and your salary is set between 60 and 70k..Anyone on say 60k will continue to get their annual increments until they reach their ceiling
fliball123 wrote: » To off set the above we have had 4 years of pay increments in the PS costing a billion
Rabidlamb wrote: » Right this has set a flame under me, is there any member of the PS who can come on here & justify why incremental increases weren't stopped as part of the CPA. I would be ashamed to accept pay rises from a bankrupt state with 14% unemployment. I probably can't use the term thieving scum so I wont.
fliball123 wrote: » No but within the grades annual increments are ongoing costing accoring to Minister Noonan 1/4 of a billion a year...So we started the austerity what 4 years ago so the wage has crept back up by about a billion...So say your a grade 5 and your salary is set between 60 and 70k..Anyone on say 60k will continue to get their annual increments until they reach their ceiling Dont turn it in to a PS bashing thread but thats part of the reason on top of tax in this country reaching and surpassing the point of diminishing return..For tax payers the statement blood from a stone is possible the most apt. Also add in the increase of people joining the dole queue 300k
sollar wrote: » NEWSFLASH: The deficit is not reducing because austerity does not solve these problems. BTW Increments would have been paid anyway (regardless of cuts) and are being offset by retiring staff that are not being replaced due to the employment embargo. So the 1/4 billion figure is not accurate. In normal times people retire and new staff are employed to replace them along the chain (guess what... that costs money). Savings are being made now because these staff are not being hired... because the rest of us are picking up the work (saving the PS a fortune). The people that make the decisions know this. Stop taking your info from the Sunday Independent they are not a good source for accuracy... they will spin the PS in as bad a light as they can.
fliball123 wrote: » We have seen 1 paycut in the Public sector pay about 7%
fliball123 wrote: » To off set the above we have had 4 years of pay increments in the PS costing a billion?
fliball123 wrote: » So these people leaving dont get a pension so?
sollar wrote: » So did the pension levy not save money on the deficit considering if it wasn't implemented the pensions were going to be paid out anyway? Perhaps you can now provide the figures on money saved due to non replacement of staff in the PS. Or do you only gather one sided data??
InigoMontoya wrote: » I work as a researcher in a university so I come under the PS heading. I don't get increments (though naturally I have been subject to the pay cut and levies) and my job depends on my work being good enough to attract funding for another project. So, while I'm not arguing that increments shouldn't be stopped, perhaps you should think twice before throwing around terms like "thieving scum" on a blanket basis.
fliball123 wrote: » What are you on about...Its obvious if someone has lef the ps in the last 4 years they went one of two places either the dole so we are still paying for them and they left with a nice golden handshake or to get their pension a nice golden pension with a nice golden handshake and the possibility of being rehired as a contractor due to the recruitment freeze (have a look at the teaching arrangement) So no there has been little savings made money wise..I am not saying you are not improving in some areas..As for the levy it was long over due..You should have to pay your pensions yourself .. And if you look I looked at what has increased over the last number of years and I have shown why 4 years down the line we are down from a 20 bill to 18bill even do we have taken about 5 times that out of the economy..You just keep those blinkers on there kid
dlofnep wrote: » The deficit is reduced, to €7.8 billion for H1 (down €1 billion) - projecting (give or take) an annual deficit of about €15.6 billion. The problem however is that the funding of Anglo-Irish and Irish Nationwide are included in the deficit (€3 billion invested in January). So regardless of any austerity measures, it is practically impossible on paper to reduce our deficit. I'll let ye all get back to blaming public servants now.
fliball123 wrote: » But do you not see the hypocrosy of these increments people are at the pin of their collar and instead of keeping people in the ps on the same wage (bar the 7% cut) the gov deem it nessacery to introduce water tax and property tax....Can you not understand why there is such outrage and frustration?
I have no proposals to change the current arrangements in relation to the payment of increments as they would disproportionately affect the lower paid staff in the public service.
sollar wrote: » The answer does not lie with the PS. Even if the increments were stopped what would that do the the deficit? I don't have blinkers on. Our pension levy and paycuts saved more than the increments are costing. The non replacemet of staff is saving money also. The problem in this country is UNEMPLOYMENT.... not the PS.
EF wrote: » Link Seeing as increments are not on the agenda you can keep huffing and puffing but the solution lies elsewhere, especially in job creation rather than cuts
sollar wrote: » Thats the fairest way. Everyone should pay not just public servants so you don't have to pay a property tax. Brian lenihan pointed out that the average paycut across the private sector was less than the public sector. And don't come back with the 450,000 got a 100% pay cut etc etc. If you didn't lose your job thats got FA to do with you.
sollar wrote: » Brian lenihan pointed out that the average paycut across the private sector was less than the public sector.
fliball123 wrote: » Look at my first few posts I said I didnt want this to desend into PS bashing there are a number of reasons why the figure is not decreasing that quickly and unfortunately one of those reasons are because of PS increments..I also said tax is at the point of diminishing returns aswell as the interest that has to be paid on the bank bailout...
