Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government has promised to bring forward legislation to cut the pay of public sector workers, including gardaí, nurses and firefighters. All front-line workers will face mandatory pay cuts if they do not sign up to the Croke Park deal. Ministers have made this threat repeatedly for several weeks and we know public sector workers will be considering the matter. It is clear that the Government has no empathy for front-line workers who are operating in difficult circumstances, with cuts to funding for the services they provide. However, there is an abundance of empathy for the senior bankers in financial institutions. Where is the threat to cut the pay of senior bankers? The response to the Mercer report, for which we had to wait two years and which cost more than €120,000, is pathetic.

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