Time to debate on basis of fact

March 15th: Unite has welcomed today’s report from the CSO which dispels popular myths about public-private sector pay differentials and instead shows that, overall, public sector workers are paid slightly less than comparable workers in the private sector.

Commenting, Unite Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly said:

“Public sector workers are regularly portrayed as overpaid when compared to their private sector counterparts.  The figures published today show that public sector workers are in fact paid slightly less than their private sector counterparts.  It also shows that, in contrast to the private sector – where, as shown by yesterday’s ICTU report, top executives can enjoy lotto-style pay packages – there is greater income equality in the public sector”, Mr Kelly said.

Unite Regional Coordinating Officer Richie Browne added:

“As we head into talks on a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, today’s CSO report explodes the myth of a public sector pay premium and allows us to debate the issues on the basis of fact. Unite has consistently made the case for unwinding the FEMPI cuts, including the so-called ‘Croke Park Hours’. However, we need to go further and negotiate pay increases for public sector workers in line with our international comparators who have enjoyed continuous pay increases from 2010 to the present”, Richie Browne concluded.