Plenty of graduates work long hours on shit money in order to get somewhere. Barristers, accountants ect. You go through shit to get the cream. Newly conferred graduate salary stats are skewed by some very high paying jobs in some industries btw, in case someone posts that.
I’m not necessarily against younger Gards getting an increase but some perspective is required. Lots of young people work long hours (and far longer than a Gard in plenty of cases) and they need a car ect. It’s 30 grand after 3 years and goes up to nearly 46k without being promoted up a rank, that is not bad for a job with a great pension at the end of it. The public service works off increments, the same as teachers.
In the context of limited state resources, which I think all will accept, there is a choice to be made whether these should be allocated to all as per economic need (via reduction in the tax burden, cost of living, state services etc) or few (“restore” pay to Celtic Tiger levels). The GRA clearly want the second and they believe they should break the law on that basis.
I think it’s also worth referencing that they didn’t reject no change in pay or no up in pay for new recruits - they just want more than the slice of the pie they’re being offered.
I’ve a fundamental problem with that and when you back on bemoaning some other unfortunate section of society that has had services reduced etc etc you’d do well to remember that it’s a zero sum game.
I get that you’re just trying to be an old arsehole for the sake of it but I’ll respond anyway sure. Perhaps someone that sees the job as a vocation. On the other hand, are you saying your happy to only attract the guy at the bottom of the class?
I don’t know whether Gardai should be paid more. I know they say they should be paid more but that’s not really the same thing - most people say that. There are limited resources and they feel they should be treated differently to other PS workers because they’re special snowflakes - I disagree with that. I agree there should be some limited PS pay increases but in the context of quite meagre government resources to target multiple issues I’m not sure how “restoration” claims can be taken seriously.
They are barred legally from taking industrial action. They have announced they intend to take industrial action (not Blue Flu mind) which is directly breaking the law. I’m not sure whether the offence occurs at the time of strike or the announcement of strike but as upholders of the law its hugely provocative. It fits in with a pattern though of other protestors (water, LPT etc) who think that if they believe the law is wrong they can just ignore it.
Did they reject the deal because they wanted less …
That wasn’t what the spokesperson was saying this morning - he was saying they wanted a “full restoration” of pay. I suspect if just a end to the two-tier system was offered with nothing for the main cohort of old guards they wouldn’t be interested to be honest.