Will the Soldiers of Destiny flee at first sight of ICTU’s battle tanks?

THE cabinet is working a double shift. Along with their regular weekly Tuesday meetings they sit every Thursday to deliberate on the budget. Their target is to obtain a €4bn reduction in public expenditure.

The proportions of pain to be administered are ... public sector payroll to be reduced by €1.3bn, welfare to be cut by €1.3bn and other services by €1.4bn. This is slide-rule economics, as it is broadly in line with their respective proportions of total public service costs.

The fiercest opposition to this remedy has come from the public service trade unions. Impact, SIPTU, CPSU, Mandate, Unite, INO, GRA and the Frontline Alliance have all parked their battle tanks on the Government’s front lawn.