Public sector pay cuts - Remedial action vital

All senior public servants, including government ministers, heads of departments and hospital consultants are likely to be subjected to salary cuts in line with a report commissioned by the Minister for Finance.

Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe stated yesterday that “reverse benchmarking” would be implemented. Benchmarking was initially introduced to ensure that workers in the public service were paid commensurate with their counterparts in the private sector, but the pendulum has since shifted in the other direction.

It seemed appropriate that the Minister for Education made this announcement, because it indicates that members of the government are learning, even if they have been very slow learners.