Bloated public service costs us jobs

THE recent nurses’ ‘strike’ by the public service nurses highlights yet again the lack of economic reality endemic in the public service.

What the nurses demanded — more money for less work — is a contradiction in economic terms. Everybody knows nurses do a vital job and deserve to be well-paid, but not at any price. To concede to their claims would mean that the rest of the cosseted public service employees would demand the same, with catastrophic consequences for the already battered competitiveness of the Irish economy.

The recent construction boom has masked a marked deterioration in our business environment. As a small open economy, we are at the mercy of economic forces over which we have very little control despite what politicians said during the recent election campaign.