Madam, – It is generally agreed that our present difficulties have been caused by builders, developers, bankers and the Government.
It appears to be also generally accepted that these difficulties will be solved with the help of sacrifices from the PAYE sector, public and private.
But what about the other two sectors of the economy who were only too willing to jump on the gravy train (if they were not already on it)?
The first sector is composed of executives, consultants and advisers of all kinds who took obscenely high remunerations in recent years because they were “worth it”!
The second sector comprised those professions which increased their fees well above the rates of inflation: lawyers, doctors, dentists, estate agents, solicitors and others, who did so “because the market can bear it”!
It is time to bring reality back to these sectors and for respect to be shown to PAYE workers. In return, PAYE workers may begin to have respect again for their “betters”, that respect having been lost amid all the scandals.
We are all interdependent on this small island and future national agreements should aim to embrace everyone and not just the present “social partners”.
– Yours, etc,