TDs and top civil servants should give wage increases to hire front line staff

Rory Hearne, People Before Profit Alliance, Dublin South East said:

The increases in expenses granted to TDs and top civil servants should be refused and given instead to front line staff such as nurses in overcrowded A&E wards and more teachers for overcrowded classes.

This increase follows a trend of TDs and senior civil servants getting pay hikes while lower grade staff are left with much smaller increases.

Brian Cowen’s wage will reach 310,000 with the increase while senior civil servants like Brendan Drumm has a wage of over 500,000. This is disgraceful and should be changed immediately.

It is also disgraceful that parties like the Labour Party and Greens stand over this increase while supposedly claiming that they are standing up for the poor and lower paid workers.