Inequality - Cost cutting must be shared fairly

The juxtaposition of many of the leading news stories of recent days should set alarm bells ringing in Dáil Éireann.

On one hand the Taoiseach and other members of the Government have been calling for wage reform, while on the other we have had the horror stories of senior figures in the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) and Bord Gáis being awarded outlandish bonuses. This has all been played out against a backdrop of industrial and social unrest in Greece.

In truth, it was largely only as a result of the initiative of Transport Minister Leo Varadkar that Declan Collier, chief executive of the DAA, announced that he was not going to take his bonus award of over €100,000 this year.