Madam, – The Fianna Fáil backbenchers have, we are told, rejected the suggestion of unpaid leave as a way to cut public service costs (Home News, December 4th). Am I the only one surprised at the depth of their economic insight, their unity of purpose and the speed of their response?
Maybe if this group of wunderkinds had displayed these same analytic and reactive skills over the past few years, their own Government might have been prevented from driving the country to bankruptcy. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The assertion by the newly appointed governor of the Central Bank, Patrick Honohan, that bankers’ wages should not be capped, so as to attract a high calibre of candidate to such positions, is further evidence of the Government’s capitulation to a financial and corporate elite.
Such a statement at a time of punitive pay cuts across the public sector sends an implicit message to teachers, nurses, firemen, et al, and to a society at large. What does it matter the calibre of person educating my child, caring for my sick mother or indeed saving me from a burning house?
Such short-sighted and quantitative assessment at the negation of qualitative services will have a profound impact on Irish society for generations to come. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – This year I have partaken in the purchase of 10 extra days annual leave where I work as a clinical nurse specialist in a Dublin hospital, as a cost-cutting measure. It worked excellently. All those who partook in this scheme adapted well workwise, and I felt I was able to be more organised in my work and more efficient. This was a byproduct of the incentive.
I would suggest that this kind of initiative should be given a chance to work. – Yours, etc,