Two sides to reward coin

It is hard to argue with Minister for the Office of Public Works Brian Hayes’ assertion that state employees should get “reward” pay for exceptional performance.

It would be unfortunate though if this suggestion led to the usual situation where the most attractive elements of private sector employment were incorporated into the state’s employment practices while the counter balancing, hard-nosed ones are ignored.

The European Central Bank recorded that average public sector pay increased by 67% between 1999 and 2006. This, however, did not lead to the promised and vital reform. If Mr Hayes proposals are to be considered, so too must the other side of the coin — effective measures to remove those who consistently under perform from the public sector jobs they hold.