Job security does not mean public sector should have to carry unfair load

I AM a public sector worker employed as a firefighter/paramedic in Dublin Fire Brigade. For some months now there seems to be a division building between public and private sector workers as the economy falters and the measures taken last Tuesday seem to have worsened the situation.

Increasingly in the media I hear and read comments from private sector workers that the public sector should be the ones penalised as they have permanent, pensionable jobs while the private sector has been accepting pay cuts and job losses. Simply because our jobs are guaranteed does not mean the savings to be made in the economy should be unequal. Seven years ago I decided to leave the private sector to pursue a career I was interested in. It took me 10 years to get accepted in this position and in doing so my salary was reduced by 50% and I handed back a company car.

I also sacrificed all of the benefits that subsequently accrued to many private sector workers during the economic boom. I accepted this in return for a defined career path and job satisfaction.

The public sector caters for just about every trade and profession possible, from clerks to carpenters, accountants to electricians. To those private sector workers who seem now to prioritise job security over anything else I would suggest they should have taken the opportunity to join the public sector at some stage during their career.

Private sector jobs have always been vulnerable, even in buoyant times, but that is a career choice an individual makes usually because salaries and job flexibility are more attractive.

It is unfair now to expect those people who chose job security over remuneration by pursuing a public sector career to make more sacrifices than the private sector who benefitted far more during the good times.

Donal Brennan

18 Martin Grove

Blackhorse Ave

Dublin 7