AIB golden handshake - €3m pay-off ends idea of social unity

IMAGINE if you are a public sector worker trying to support a family and maybe give your children a good education on something around €35,000 a year.

Imagine also that you are being asked to embrace considerable change under the Croke Park deal or face more pay cuts and you read that one man, former managing director of Allied Irish Banks, Colm Doherty got a pay package worth more than €3 million last year.

Imagine if you were the parent of a child who had come alive, blossomed like you never dared dream they might, because their school was able to meet their special needs but may not next year because of cuts and you read that Mr Doherty was paid €432,000 for 10 months’ work.