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Why can't they just......

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  • 10-12-2009 12:10am
    #1
    Mr. Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 9,798 ✭✭✭


    1. Cap all public sector max earnings at 150,000.

    What senior public servant is worth more than this? A TD's base salary is nothing because everything is vouched expenses. Same with senior civil servants- milage, overnight expenses etc. It's a recession. You work in the public service- i.e serve the public- not yourselves. If you want wages in line with the CEO's in the private sector- then feck off and work in the private sector. Where is the sense is paying chaps over this amount- how many nurses could we hire by doing this.

    2. Weed out the deadwood in the public sector- a job for life- why? Get rid of the rubber room in An Post and the paper pushers in the HSE- toodles to the clockwatching non contributing spongers.

    3. Make savings by making teachers work the summer holidays as supervisors for the Leaving Cert. We are paying these people to sit on their asses for three months and then paying them again to come in and supervise these exams- how much would that save?

    4. Leave people on less than 30K alone- you know how vastly inflated property in this country has allowed become- why? Because of predatory lending practises that gave people loans that they could not afford.

    5. Cut VAT. Seriously- look what low corporation tax did. Cut VAT to 17% in line with the UK to stimulate growth and jobs.

    6. Reduce the minimum wage. This is long overdue. It will lead to deflation which is what we need.

    7. Cap overtime costs in the public service. After the first 5K overtime reduce double time on Sundays and public holidays to standard pay rates.

    8. Stimulate jobs in flexible specific industries. i.e half the PAYE payments for employees in specific industries like renewable energy, research and development, manufacturing companies for 3 years to encourage start up companies in industries that are going to drive the economy in the future.

    9. Have a real suggestion box. How about the Minister for enterprise actually show some enterprise and make an annual recommendation in ideas along this line with an open email addresses for suggestions from the professional bodies. Ordinary people have great ideas too.

    10. Insert your idea here.


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    #2
    imme
    Registered Users Posts: 3,200 ✭✭✭imme


    Mr. Incognito wrote: »
    2. Weed out the deadwood in the public sector- a job for life- why? Get rid of the rubber room in An Post and the paper pushers in the HSE- toodles to the clockwatching non contributing spongers.
    what's a/the rubber room in An Post?


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    #3
    gandalf
    Registered Users Posts: 26,458 ✭✭✭✭gandalf


    imme wrote: »
    what's a/the rubber room in An Post?

    I am not sure if I want to hear the answer to this one!


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    #4
    starbelgrade
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,739 ✭✭✭✭starbelgrade


    Suggestion No.11 - make Mr. Incognito Minister for Finance.


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    #5
    imme
    Registered Users Posts: 3,200 ✭✭✭imme


    gandalf wrote: »
    I am not sure if I want to hear the answer to this one!

    :D


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    #6
    Mr. Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 9,798 ✭✭✭Mr. Incognito


    what's a/the rubber room in An Post?

    The Rubber room is where the dinosaurs in An Post who have non specific jobs are sent- i.e excess staff with nothing to do. It is called the rubber room because they are ready to bounce off the walls with boredom. A quick google with bring up the articles where this was reported.

    I work in tax and I'm sick of the government rehashing the same old slash and burn in recession and depression and not being innovative or thinking outside the box. God lads, even the greens cycle to work scheme was a joke- it is a non BIK where the employer provides a bike- big whoop. The employer is still paying for it out of his picket. Why don't they give a credit against PAYE for the cost of the bike- hey presto we all have new bikes. This government are a shower of screw ups- even when the they get a half decent idea they make a cock up of if.

    I'm genuinely interested to hear people add to this list. There are cleverer ways of making savings out there.


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    #7
    Pride Fighter
    Registered Users Posts: 5,729 ✭✭✭Pride Fighter


    I propose lowering the working week from 39-33 hours. Anything after 33 hours is overtime. This will IMO make employers more likely to give people on short time more hours. If someone works 39 hours and someone is on short time working 20 hours it could mean the person on 20 hours going up to 26 and the one on 39 hours going down to 33. It would introduce more equity IMO.
    In the public service this could be done to see if departments can still handle their workload on less hours. This could help weed out inefficiencies. Also where places are fully staffed the reduction in the working week would mean that some extra staff would need to be hired, getting some people off the dole queue.


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    #8
    starbelgrade
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,739 ✭✭✭✭starbelgrade


    Pride Fighter wrote: »
    I propose lowering the working week from 39-33 hours. Anything after 33 hours is overtime. This will IMO make employers more likely to give people on short time more hours. If someone works 39 hours and someone is on short time working 20 hours it could mean the person on 20 hours going up to 26 and the one on 39 hours going down to 33. It would introduce more equity IMO.

    What would this do to decrease wage bills? You're still paying people to do the same number of hours & reducing 1 person's hours & take home pay. A disgruntled worker is not a productive one. I can see the benefits of job / hour sharing, but it would have to be on a voluntary basis.
    Pride Fighter wrote: »
    In the public service this could be done to see if departments can still handle their workload on less hours. This could help weed out inefficiencies. Also where places are fully staffed the reduction in the working week would mean that some extra staff would need to be hired, getting some people off the dole queue.

    There are easier ways to weed out inefficiencies, but the set-up of the PS doesn't really account for that as it stands.. and I'm sure there are many departments that could have staff shifted around without employing even more people in the public sector.


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    #9
    Pride Fighter
    Registered Users Posts: 5,729 ✭✭✭Pride Fighter


    starbelgrade wrote: »
    What would this do to decrease wage bills? You're still paying people to do the same number of hours & reducing 1 person's hours & take home pay. A disgruntled worker is not a productive one. I can see the benefits of job / hour sharing, but it would have to be on a voluntary basis..

    It would reduce wage bills by decreasing overtime.


    There are easier ways to weed out inefficiencies, but the set-up of the PS doesn't really account for that as it stands.. and I'm sure there are many departments that could have staff shifted around without employing even more people in the public sector

    Why dont you propose some ways to weed out inefficiencies then? I gave a proposal, now you give one.


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    #10
    starbelgrade
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,739 ✭✭✭✭starbelgrade


    Pride Fighter wrote: »
    It would reduce wage bills by decreasing overtime.

    If you reduce the working week from 39 to 36 hours, do you suggest keeping the wages the same or by reducing them to the equivalent hourly rate?



    Pride Fighter wrote: »
    Why dont you propose some ways to weed out inefficiencies then? I gave a proposal, now you give one.

    I'd get rid of benchmarking & pay people based on what they are worth to the business & on their performance rates, as I do with my own staff.


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