Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is astonishing to say the FEMPI legislation had a significantly greater impact on senior civil servants. If 10% is taken from somebody earning €200,000, €20,000 will be taken, but if the same percentage is taken from somebody earning €40,000, that person will have much less in his or her pocket. It was an extraordinary statement. I did not ask the Minister about FEMPI but I acknowledge that some of the cuts have been reversed, slowly and painfully, but other elements have been kept intact, including poorer pensions, greater pension contributions for new workers and some continued pay apartheid. The same commission produced reports on nurses' pay and on the pay of the Defence Forces in the past 12 months and basically said, "There is not a problem here, there is nothing to see, move on", which is why there has been a major problem with Defence Forces pay and a major strike by the nursing unions. To what extent is the Minister in touch with reality, given what he has stated?

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