Public sector gravy train has run out of track

THANKS to Ivan Yates for his insightful and honest column (April 23).

If only our leaders in politics and the trade unions could be so honest. The public sector really has its collective head in the sand – the main conspiritors being the nurses and the teachers, but you can extend that to anyone who was tied to Bertie Ahern’s apron strings for the past 15 years of “consensus” government. For this read, whatever the unions want, give it to them to keep them quiet and do not worry about getting any tangible return. Of course people do not want to face up to this. Wages up between 50% and 100%, public sector employment up by 20,000-to-30,000. No problem, the taxpayer will foot the bill. Things will get even worse unless hard decisions are made. The teachers were like bold children stamping their feet at their recent conferences. They should realise the gravytrain has run out of track.

John Twohig