‘I had to skip my rent to buy my children Christmas presents’

THERE was a reluctant acceptance among many public service workers picketing in Cork that their income is going to drop again after the budget – but they remain adamant in their desire to see the pain shared by those in the high-income brackets.

Despite endless rain and strong winds, colleges, schools and public service offices were picketed by union members angry at what they perceived as a lack of leadership from Government in finding alternative ways to save money.

Outside the Revenue Commissioners offices in Blackpool, IMPACT member and divorced father-of-two Mark Mulhall suggested taking money back from the banks as an alternative to major public service pay cuts, expressing anger about the €500,000 salary AIB’s new managing director, Colm Doherty, has taken in a drop from €630,000.