Public servants can’t afford to ‘carry’ banks

AFTER the bank guarantee scheme of last September and the Government’s recapitalisation of AIB and Bank of Ireland, not to mention the nationalisation of the basket case that is Anglo Irish Bank, it is very surprising to me how these institutions still employ so many staff at the taxpayers’ expense and offer such generous pensions.

Moreover, the silence of IBEC on this point is deafening.

Over the past few months thousand of teachers, nurses and other public servants on temporary contracts have lost their jobs and all public servants are now paying through the nose via the pension levy for the banks’ excesses, yet amazingly there is no talk of job losses or pension levies at the very banks that got us all into this position in the first place. Are Anglo Irish Bank staff subject to the pension levy??

The public service can no longer afford to pay for and subsidise generous banker salaries and pensions.

The public services have taken a hit – now it is time for the banks to do likewise in the national interest. I await IBEC’s response

Conor Cronin

Gurtycloona

Bantry

Co Cork