According to report published in the Irish Independent this morning it is understood that current government’s Ministers, TDs and senators could receive a pay rise in next year’s budget.
The news comes after the Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin gave an interview with the paper in which he suggested that pay increases will be available for all politicians. Mr Howlin says the decision has come as the Government is looking to reverse cuts that were imposed during the recession.
He went onto state that everyone, including politicians, should be treated equally as the economic recovery allows more spending and tax cuts.
The Minister for Public Expenditure told the paper “Ministers, politicians or anybody else – I’ve always said that we are not going to segregate out people,”
“There is the appropriate rate of pay for whatever line of work you’re in and people on that pay grade should get whatever pay rises are going”. He also added: “I don’t believe in segregating out particular categories of people.”
Meanwhile Mr Howlin also stated that he would soon begin unwinding the legislation that imposed pay cuts for people working in the public sector however he warned that wage increases would be gradual rather than immediate. Mr Howlin said: “It would be prudent to prepare for the unwinding of Fempi rather than allow it lapse because that would be a jolt the economy wouldn’t survive,” he said. “I want to negotiate the unwinding of Fempi over time and obviously I have my own views how to do that and I will come to the table with those and present them to the public sector unions,” Mr Howlin also said his main focus will be on restoring pay for the lowest-paid workers who were hit worst during the recession. It is understood that he plans introduce news proposals to the Cabinet this week on how to begin unwinding the legislation.
Meanwhile the Tánaiste Joan Burton has given her support to the decision to unwind legislation after she paid tribute to the public sector workers who seemingly suffered more than €3bn in cuts throughout the years of the recession. Ms Burton told reporters that the decision was “right and appropriate” that talks begin on restoring pay, but warned against raised expectation on what will be agreed. Ms Burton said: “I think it would be wrong to create false and excessive expectations. We are in recovery but we need to have sustainable recovery and make that recovery stronger.”Any money spent will be carefully spent”.