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10/02/2010
HSE's Top Staff Set For Pay Boost
The Irish Department of Finance is considering proposals for pay increases of up to 5.5% for its top-level managers in the Department of Health.
They were told that national directors and assistant national directors in the Health Service Executive (HSE) were awaiting rises recommended by the public sector's pay review body in 2007.
If the proposals are accepted national directors could see rises of 5% and assistant national directors could receive rises of 2.3%.
The pay increase proposals come just as a the Government came under fire from the opposition over a U-turn on the pay reductions of senior public servants.
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said on Monday that some of the implications for pay reductions in the recent Finance Bill would be reduced for senior staff.
Speaking on the issue today, Fine Gael Deputy Leader and Finance Spokesman Richard Bruton to exempt 655 senior public servants from the full impact of pay cuts in the public services is unfair and unjustifiable.
Mr Bruton said it was unfair because people on the lowest pay in the public service were facing a reduction in their take home pay of 5%, while "these privileged people will escape with just a third of that cut".
The Fine Gael deputy leader added that it was unjustified because it defied the recommendation of the Independent Review Group on higher remuneration, which recommended a cut of between 8% and 12% for the group of senior staff.
"At Budget time, the Government accepted the recommendation of the Review Group in full. Two weeks later, following a Government decision, the Minister issued a direction… exempting these top public servants from the proposed pay cut," Mr Bruton said.
He added: "The legislation is very clear and directs that the Minister may only do this if there is a ‘substantial inequity’ and if it is ‘just and equitable in all the circumstances’. Remarkably in the time since that decision was taken, explanations offered by the Government as to why the decision was made have ranged from the incredible to the downright inaccurate."
(DW/BMcC)
They were told that national directors and assistant national directors in the Health Service Executive (HSE) were awaiting rises recommended by the public sector's pay review body in 2007.
If the proposals are accepted national directors could see rises of 5% and assistant national directors could receive rises of 2.3%.
The pay increase proposals come just as a the Government came under fire from the opposition over a U-turn on the pay reductions of senior public servants.
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said on Monday that some of the implications for pay reductions in the recent Finance Bill would be reduced for senior staff.
Speaking on the issue today, Fine Gael Deputy Leader and Finance Spokesman Richard Bruton to exempt 655 senior public servants from the full impact of pay cuts in the public services is unfair and unjustifiable.
Mr Bruton said it was unfair because people on the lowest pay in the public service were facing a reduction in their take home pay of 5%, while "these privileged people will escape with just a third of that cut".
The Fine Gael deputy leader added that it was unjustified because it defied the recommendation of the Independent Review Group on higher remuneration, which recommended a cut of between 8% and 12% for the group of senior staff.
"At Budget time, the Government accepted the recommendation of the Review Group in full. Two weeks later, following a Government decision, the Minister issued a direction… exempting these top public servants from the proposed pay cut," Mr Bruton said.
He added: "The legislation is very clear and directs that the Minister may only do this if there is a ‘substantial inequity’ and if it is ‘just and equitable in all the circumstances’. Remarkably in the time since that decision was taken, explanations offered by the Government as to why the decision was made have ranged from the incredible to the downright inaccurate."
(DW/BMcC)
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