Tag Archives: Politics

Pay. Make It A Single Issue.

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It’s very sad that it took a mass strike from public sector unions before the Government would come to the negotiating table.

A major stumbling block is that the Government wanted terms and conditions attached to the ‘Pay Rise’.

To call it a pay rise is frankly a bit of a joke. The net increase in public sector pay over the 2.5 years of the Public Sector Pay Agreement worked out at about 1.5% BEFORE tax. So, in real terms public service workers are no better off in terms of pay than we were in December 2023. Any pay rise currently being sought is simply to stop workers receiving effective pay cuts due to inflation.

Since the economic crash of 2008, the public sector has been under continuous pressure. Initially, there was the brutal pay cuts and increased taxes that demoralised thousands, and encouraged many highly skilled workers to take early retirement – thereby losing decades of experience.

Once the economy began to recover, a series of agreements had ‘Productivity’ built into them.

Croke Park Agreement (2010 – 2013)

  • The Croke Park Agreement (2010 – 2013)
  • The Haddington Road Agreement (2013 – 2015)
  • The Landsdowne Road Agreement (2015 – 2018)
  • The Public Service Stability Agreement (2018 – 2020)
  • Building Momentum (2021 – 2023)
  • The Public Service Agreement (2024 – June 2026)

Each and every one of these agreements has included pay increases, but at the cost of changing work practices, extra hours, and productivity.

One has to wonder at this point just how much more productivity can be squeezed from the workers. 6 agreements, each including ‘improved’ productivity. We are past the point of getting more blood from the stone.

When you change the conditions of work (hours, practices, productivity) you are changing the job. We have reached the point where peoples’ jobs have changed to the extent that it’s no longer a pay rise – it’s simply pay for a very different way of working.

The group who suffers most in this is those who started work after 2011. Their career earnings are tens of thousands less than colleagues who had the good fortune to be born a bit earlier.

Of course we have the usual loud voices to contend with at this point. Micheal O’Leary has said that the government will ‘Buckle and roll over’ to the unions – implying that any agreement would be a surrender.

And so our unions are going to the table in good faith to see a pay rise that will hopefully match inflation.

The unions should have a strong hand. After all, the main unions all voted 95% or more in favour of action.

The government will go to the same table, hoping to turn the screws and get blood from a stone.

Any agreement that comes out will have to go to the various union members for a vote.

In this vote my conscience tells me that I must keep younger members in mind. And so, any agreement that ties productivity is likely to be rejected.

Our Appalling Treatment of Ukrainian Refugees (IDPs)

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Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia a flood of refugees (Internationally Displaced Persons) sought shelter across Europe.

At the time Ireland did all it could to help. Very quickly people were taken in at airports, PPS numbers were issued, and emergency accommodation was sorted. It was a moment of which I am proud.

Over the next few weeks and months we all realised that this war would take much longer than predicted, so our new Ukrainian neighbours began to integrate more into Irish society. They joined our schools, many started trying to learn the language, many more sought work and opened their own businesses locally.

In short, the Céad Mile Fáilte came into play.

As there is now a sense that the war is coming to an end, a number of Ukrainian families have made the decision to return home.

Some of those who have been lucky enough to find employment have found their own accommodation outside of the centres. A hugely positive move for those who could manage it. In the centres your space is not your own, and your privacy is limited. This option is not available to many due to the accommodation shortage across Ireland.

However the circumstances developed, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has recently issued what are effectively hundreds of eviction letters to families and children across the country.

The letter is utterly devoid of compassion or humanity. The word ‘regret’ is used once, but only in relation to pets. The letter has caused an incredible amount of grief, stress and upset among those who have been unfortunate enough to receive it.

When the war began we took in traumatised people. We took in people who fled before the horrors of Bucha, we took in those who had lost their homes, we took in those who had lost family members.

We then talked about trauma informed practice, and, in schools at least, tried to keep this in mind when integrating our new students.

And now a department that is responsible for both children and integration is hurting children and undermining the integration that has been achieved. We are taking traumatised children, and retraumatising them

The letter provides the rationale that “the Department is consolidating its accommodation portfolio”. Two points here. The language in use is far beyond many of those who received the letter. Second, the department appears to be more concerned with a property portfolio than with the human beings under its supposed care.

The letter then gives a very tight timeline as to when these moves will happen.

In Youghal the residents at the Quality Hotel have been given about 2 or 3 weeks.

In Victoria Cross in Cork residents have been instructed to be available on 4th and 5th March between 10AM and 6PM with their documents. Failure to turn up will be seen as meaning that they are no longer interested in State Provided Accommodation.

Even better? They are then remined that they will be moved to temporary accommodation. In other words, don’t get too comfortable.

The damage this is doing to students is horrific. I know students who are preparing for State Exams and they don’t know where they will sit the exams. They do not even know if the town/city they are moved to will have a secondary school with the same option subjects. So they could end up not being able to complete their studies that they began 1.5 years ago for that option.

By moving students in the middle of the school year their studies are negatively affected. Even if they move quickly to a new school, the curriculum will have been covered in a different manner, different teachers have different styles, and the supports that a student benefited from are not immediately present.

The timing of this is very suspect. The Dail is currently not in session, so no TDs can make a minister answer questions in session. Was this deliberate, I wonder?

The letter appears to be unsigned – so who even is responsible for this decision?

The whole manner in which this has been done feels underhand. Again, the Department, in this action, is hurting children and undermining integration. All for the exercise of consolidating a portfolio.

There is now a series of articles being written, and more awareness about this issue. I really, really hope that something can be done to reverse this decision.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41555347.html
Cork School Principal devestated
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/01/14/were-very-afraid-ukrainian-refugees-in-limerick-given-48-hours-notice-of-being-moved/
https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2025/0115/1491035-ukrainian-women-children-move-cork-hotel/

The Charge of Antisemitism

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Israel has accused the Irish of being one of the most antisemitic countries in Europe.

That really is quite an allegation, and one that can’t be dismissed lightly. Why would they level such a charge against us?

On October 7th 2023 Hamas (A terrorist organisation that controls much of Gaza) launched a vicious attack against Israel. 1,139 people were killed/murdered that day.

Ireland, along with the Western World condemned the attack. Rightly so. The attack by Hamas was terrorism, a brutal attack on civilians, some of whom were simply attending a festival.

The retribution by Israel has been swift an ongoing. The BBC quotes a figure of 46,006 people killed in Gaza so far.

Israel has the right to defend itself. That is not questioned by any major government. However, what is happening in Gaza goes far beyond self defence. It is an attack on a whole people.

Over the course of this war people have lost their homes, their property, their lives. Most of those suffering are civilians.

The question is, though, is all of the above Genocide? That is a huge question/accusation, and one that needs to be taken seriously.

The International Criminal Court has become so concerned with the actions of Prime Minister Netanyahu that it issued an arrest warrant for him on 21st November.

South Africa has taken a case to the Internal Court of Justice to broaden the definition of Genocide. Ireland has lodged an intervention in this case (effectively supporting South Africa’s argument).

On 28th May 2024 the Irish Government, along with Spain and Norway, recognised the State of Palestine. As you can imagine, this move was met with fury by the Israeli government.

Between the Irish recognition of the State of Palestine, and its Intervention in the ICJ case, the Israeli Government has become so angry that it has closed its embassy in Dublin, labelling the country as antisemitic.

As a people we have tended to be sympathetic towards the plight of the people of Gaza. Israeli supporters are using a zero-sum fallacy here. If you support Palestine, then you must hate us.

No.

It is possible to both condemn the actions of Hamas and the actions of the Israeli State.

Israel needs to stop this war, and allow International efforts into Gaza to help the people there. The trauma and destruction will take generations to fix, and that work needs to start.

Finally, have a look at this summary by Al Jazeera of the damage inflicted by 8th October 2024.