IBEC tries to bite the hand that feeds it

IN the light of the current threat of industrial action by lower and middle salaried public servants, it’s worth bearing in mind that employers’ body IBEC, the social partner which has been so blatantly biased against public servants, is actually bankrolled by both the banks and, wait for it, public money from semi-state organisations... more than €1 million of it for 2007.

Yes, in this parallel universe, where two government ministers can needlessly run up a bill of more than €160,000 for a short trip to drum up business in the US, in the middle of a global recession, and where banks can be bailed out to the tune of billions of public monies and then weeks later award their staff a pay rise, it takes a lot to surprise any more.

Nevertheless, this revelation makes the grandstanding of IBEC’s director general Turlough O’Sullivan particularly galling.

This particular revelation was first brought to public attention by Senator Shane Ross several months ago.

Huge fees bankrolled IBEC from both the big banks — now to get another €7bn of public money themselves — and semi-state organisations such as RTÉ, ESB, the Dublin Airport Authority and An Post which, during 2007, threw thousands IBEC’s way.

Yet all of this still failed to prevent the audacious IBEC from trying to bite the hand that feeds it.

It all puts a new perspective on this organisation’s breathtaking arrogance, shamefaced self-interest and downright brass neck.

Daithí O’Maolbháraigh

Kenilworth Park

Dublin 6w