Sir, - While it is legitimate to try to compare pay movements in the public and private sectors, your feature ("Pay deal's midlife crisis fuelled by public sector unrest" The Irish Times, July 25th) did not compare like with like.
Firstly, it compared all public sector pay (from low-paid home helps to the equivalent of chief executives of large companies) with average industrial earnings, which relate exclusively to a relatively narrow spectrum of industrial workers in the private sector.
Secondly, it discussed increases in the public services pay bill, which is very different from increases in the pay of individual public servants.
The size of the pay bill depends on the number of public servants as well as the level of pay they receive. And the number of public servants has risen over the past decade as politicians have responded to public demand for new or improved services. For example, public concern about child abuse gave rise to new legislation that demanded more child care workers, social workers, psychologists and medical staff.
Recent history shows that while pay may rise at different rates in the public and private sectors over short periods, the increases tend to be broadly similar over time. - Yours, etc., Peter McLoone, General Secretary, IMPACT trade union,
Nerney's Court, Dublin 1.