Comments on: March with the Union’s ?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:19:45 +0000

You guys have some decent SEO. I pulled you right up on a yahoo search. Nice site too!

Eamonn – Thanks Sarah.

By: John Mc

John Mc — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:12:25 +0000

Again watching from a distance but what I have seen of Ireland throughout the Tiger (now the celtic kitten) and the excesses it produced like Helicopters to the races etc. its staggering to me what has happened to the tax revenues produced during this period. Has it been squirrelled away by Bertie and his band of merry men into Swiss bank accounts? I see that developer(cant remember his name ) has flown the coup to Switzerland as he knows he could be hammered in an EEC country. As usual a small % managed to make millions and are now leaving the average working people to pay.
I think what’s even more of a concern is that the Opposition don’t seem to be able to capitalise on the incompetency. I have watched similar incompetency in New South Wales for the past 10 years with an irrelevant opposition unable to do do anything .

By: Ronan

Ronan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:49:40 +0000

I no longer live in Ireland and left long before the ‘Celtic Tiger’ and the subsequent crash. I have been watching from a distance and like many saw that Ireland would struggle to recover from any crash. It seems to me that the people still have not faced up to the fact that thing have changed and will not ever get back to how it was three or four years ago. They are still waiting for the magic wand to make it all better and in the mean time will not accept lower wages and reduced house prices.

How is it when I enquired with a labour agency to get some casual labour for a few days for a job in Dublin I was told the going rate was 25 euro an hour! It is cheaper for me to bring labour in from the UK, flights hotels the lot.Its time to wake up, both sectors and stop trying to live in the past. Scrap the unions, they cause more harm than good, if an individual has an employment problem, go legal like the rest of us have to. Dont strangle industry its the only thing that will save you.

By: billeegoat

billeegoat — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:18:29 +0000

Dead right about not trying to drive a wedge between public and private sector, we have to pull together to get out of this mess. However, part of that requires addressing areas where one sector or the other has become skewed.

Not knowing exactly what you do, I’d like to point out that NOBODY works 24/7. But taking the looser defintion that I’m sure you intended, I’m very much in the private sector and have spent a fair chunk of my working life operating on a 24/7 availability basis, along I suspect with many more.

By: rocket

rocket — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:43:15 +0000

I would like to see this bench! Where is it?

By: eblaney

eblaney — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:11:55 +0000

Thanks Declan.

In relation to your last point, I believe that now the Country is finally awakening we will see a large increase in the number of quality independent Candidates running for election. This is Fianna Fail’s worst nightmare (think Party not Country).
Sure, you’d never know who might run….

By: Declan Foley

Declan Foley — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:54:49 +0000

Good article and filled with lots of facts & figures – well done! You will probably guess that I agree with all or most of what you have written – even that we need a change of Government. However, one fact still remains which you haven’t mentioned in your posting – we don’t have a bench full of reserves or suitable replacements for the group of incompetent morons currently controlling and destroying our economy, our country and our livelihoods. The obvious candidates that will run as our leaders and that will gather votes (unfortunately) are as big a bunch of numb-nuts as the ones we want rid of.
At this crucial time, the best of our public figures and politicians are not in any position of power to lead us out of this mess
Or, can you enlighten me, have you any other thoughts on this important point?

By: Eamonn

Eamonn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:07:39 +0000

Thanks for the comment Greg. It is not my intention to vilify all Public service workers, particularly those like yourself who work in the ‘Front Line, 24/7′. I don’t consider you lucky to have a job, you have it because you deserve it. From my observations however, it is those that are the most dedicated and hard-working in the public service who are on the lowest rate of pay. And conversely, it is those who take the least responsibility for their actions, get the highest remuneration.

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:44:40 +0000

Wow
General Election ???? Where is the alternative……
Comparing private sector income and public sector income is divisive and unfair to both.There is no private sector equivalent to what i do.
I am frontline 24/7 worker with a zero absenteeism rate and a single income family. Celtic tiger meant nothing to me. Dont try and make me feel lucky to have a job. You are the one that is lucky to have me doing this job that you did not want to do.

By: John Deegan

John Deegan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:20:28 +0000

The unions accepted benchmarking in the first place and should now be benchmarked again. With or without their agreement