Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State and I appreciate the time he is giving to this. This section is unfair to low paid public sector workers. This is the second Bill we have taken this week that has disproportionately laid the blame for what has happened at the door of public sector workers and social welfare recipients. As Senator Twomey said, Fine Gael proposed to take €1.2 billion off the public sector pay bill and to save €6 billion in the budget. We disagree fundamentally with the Government that the first €30,000 earned by a public sector worker would be subject to a 5% cut. Senator White is correct.

I refer to an e-mail I received from a women during the week, which states:

I am emailing you as I am a public sector worker who's wages are going to be cut again, it is a disgrace that this government is cutting our wages for the third time. The public sector workers did not cause the problems the country is now facing, it was the present government's failed polices with the help of their banker friends and property speculators.

The image been portrayed by the media is very inaccurate as we the public sector are been shown as the reason for the economical downfall, as we are constantly seen as 'over paid' 'underworked' and generally in a highly negative light.