The annual Teachers threaten to strike thread

I'm happy with my career also. I don't begrudge you championing for higher wages. I envy the platform you have as teachers to effect that wish.

I don't agree you deserve it though. It's being funded by the tax payer so I'm a stakeholder and therefore entitled to an opinion.

I think the childish nature of most supposed teachers in this thread reflects badly on your profession.

I don't think so. If the public sector get a pay rise and the current housing issue is still on going I can see there being absolute anarchy on the streets. It will not play well with the general public. The sector which includes politicians getting a pay rise while the politicians are saying we cant do anything about housing and people cannot afford housing as the state stopped building for the poorer in society decades ago. This issue needs to be dealt with and I reckon there will be an election called a lot sooner if a sector which is hugely cushioned by the different elements that go on throughout the world and throughout this country get prioritized again before an issue that is generation defining. Lets see how this goes I will go get the popcorn.

Once again with your stupid little dig at the start is childish its what your ilk do when you have no real come back to the content being stated is fact.

Just found out my kids school is closed the Tuesday after may bank holiday. Jesus it's like a holiday camp.

Sorry to hear about your situation but people need to see whats happening in the country and the public sector cannot expect pay rises above much needed services and housing. We already have one of the most progressive income tax systems in the world , where those not earning much pay very little and in and around the average industrial wage we pay over half our earnings back on tax. I cannot see them being able to take more from that system so what do the government do?

I see 3 options

Option 1: Borrow more - meaning us, our kids and grand kids will be paying back our debt at a much higher price due to the soon to come increases in interest rates. How much more can we realistically borrow.

Option 2: Tax more - Where and how - income tax is already competing with welfare in the country and those on the higher wage couldn't be arsed working more hours due to the highly punitive tax rates. We also have a housing issue hampering the migration inwards of workers. We cant house them.

Option 3: Cut spending - This cant be done already we need 10s of billions for areas like housing and other public services that have been mismanaged and left to wither and of course we will have union after union threatening strikes if we don't pay up for their payrises. Its disgusting.

I reckon it will be option 1 but this time next year we will be hit hard as interest rates are expected to go up by about 2% from the ECB that will mean more being paid out on interest as time moves on and as interest rates move up so like I say the can that has been kicked down the road since the early naughties is coming to an end and the bill on interest on our debts accrued will have to be paid. Our fiscal space (as auld Paschal calls it) will in the very near future will turn from a positive to a negative and option 2 and 3 from the above will have to be selected. If the party in power at this point in time decide to try and kick the can again I can see the IMF coming back into town.

Sorry but we pay 40% on income on all money earned over 35300 a year then we have prsi at 4% on this yearly salary and then USC at 7% this equals 51% on anything earned above 35300. It does go up further with higher earners which I agree with you on that score but we are paying out over half of our earnings back on income taxes at a very low threshold.

Are you really that naïve? Who do you think ultimately pays for private sector increases? Consumers of course, one way or other.

Now you can kid yourself about consumers having 'choice', but there's no effective choice for banks, for phone companies, for TV networks and for many other goods and services. At the end of the day, the consumer pays, one way or other.

Schools have the same number of days in their calendar each year. If they are closing for a day in May, they will have done the extra day earlier in the year.

Sounds like you've swallowed the Newstalk kool-aid there, might be time to move the dial.

But hilarious again that you're taking every opportunity to pull the rug out from under teachers with one hand, and then wondering why there are no classes available for your nephew on the other hand. See if you can work out the connection.

Once again with the private sector the consumer has a multiple of options and of course the option not to use/buy a private sector service or product, we have no choice but to pay for and use public services as it is taken out of our wages before we even get paid and still pay for it even if we never use it.

For banks - you no longer need to use them, you can use bitcoin, revolute and other non banking affiliated ways of transferring money. Phone you can chop and change and get deals (bonkers.ie is good for this) that will reduce the amount you pay on a yearly basis. Also with whatsapp you can cut down on calling and texting for free all over the globe. TV networks you can choose from sky, netflix, disney, youtube to name but a few offerings that is available and of course you have the choice not to use any of the above if you don't feel they are value for money.

Its not just Newstalk I have said I have a brother who is going through the mill at the moment with an autistic son and its a fact that teachers wages are being prioritized over these essential services There are not enough schools built in order to accommodate the needs of kids with autism this is a fact that is completely ignored by you and the government that is the connection but you fail to acknowledge. But don't let that fact get in the way of the l'oriel attitude of unions who think the tax payer is a whore designed to work for their wages and the more we pay the worse the service becomes. The tail is very much wagging the dog in this country.

Yeap there would be some merit to this as the current metric rewards for length of service no matter how good , bad or ugly a public servant is.