Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

There was a golden era of public service unions and public servants. I quoted some figures in my contribution yesterday. If the Deputies care to pick up the pay rates for any job in the public service they care to name, whether low, medium or high paid - I accept these are skewed towards the medium and high paid and include all Members of this House among the high paid variety - they will see, at minimum, substantial increases and, in many cases, a doubling of income in ten years. Unfortunately, because of circumstances, those increases have not proved sustainable and to keep the ship afloat we must make these adjustments. Nobody likes doing this but it must be done.

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