Government profligacy - Spending not answer to all State’s woes

The exploitation of taxpayers by elements of the public sector continues with the extravagant concessions to 23 prison doctors, striking since May.

They have had their annual salaries increased by 82.8% to €117,000 along with other generous benefits on leave and sick pay.

There have already been highly publicised reports of sick leave being flagrantly abused within the prison service. What will happen if the doctors decide to follow suit? One of the main demands when the prison doctors went on strike was for more support services, especially in the psychiatric area. They undoubtedly had a valid grievance, but it seems the settlement is merely designed to throw money at the doctors and leave the other problems to another independent review. In short, this settlement is merely designed to buy time rather than settle a real problem.