‘There is no sense of fairness about it’

GERARD O’Donoghue, who works in the planning office of Limerick City Council admits that as a single man with no children, he can take the almost 15% cut in pay he has taken this year better than others.

However, it angers him that the formula for economic recovery has put such a heavy burden on the unemployed and the public sector, including much lower paid public sector workers while excluding the rest of the workforce.

“If I thought this was the way out of the economic situation, I would say ‘ok it’s necessary’ but the reality is that there is a hole in the public finance put there by the billions given to the banks,” he said. “We have not even increased taxes which would have been the most equitable way.”