Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach talked about fairness but there is very little that is fair about how this Government does its business. There is nothing fair about those in the upper echelons of the public service having such big salaries while all the time those in the lower echelons are subjected to cuts to pay and to these negotiations where the Government has already set out its objective - if it does not get its way in these talks - of bringing in its own diktats. We think that negotiations on increased flexibility are fair enough but they must be done in the context of the contribution of the work that rank and file public servants are doing and have done in tackling this crisis. Attacking pay from the bottom up is not a reform and it is certainly not fair. Senior managers and officeholders, like the Taoiseach, are paid more than their European counterparts.

When the Prime Minister of France was elected he took a pay cut, voluntarily, of 30%. The Taoiseach took a pay cut of 6%. He cannot say that nurses, gardaí, fire officers, teachers and others who provide a very valuable service need to contribute more than those at the top while those at the top continue to be protected. In his own Department, two special advisers are paid €168,000 and in the Department of Social Protection, the special adviser is paid €127,000. That is the nub of my question - how can the Taoiseach credibly call for cuts in the negotiations while those at the upper level continue to have lavish pay and pension rights which are protected by the Government?

See this speech in context