Paul Murphy Demands Action Over Secretary General's 36% Pay Rise
Paul Murphy challenged the Taoiseach over a senior civil servant's recent double pay rise that increased the salary by more than €80,000 to almost €300,000. He criticised the disparity between that rise and the 1% offered to low-paid public sector workers and urged action to cut top salaries or extend comparable increases to ordinary workers.
Allegation of a large pay rise
Paul Murphy said one civil servant received two pay rises in four months that amount to a 36% increase and lift the annual wage by over €80,000 to nearly €300,000. He contrasted that increase with the pay offers being made to lower-paid public sector staff.
Call to address pay inequality
Murphy asked the Taoiseach how the government could justify what he called "gross inequality" and whether the government would act to reduce senior civil service pay or support similar rises for ordinary public and private sector workers.
Government response and framing of wages
In reply, the Taoiseach acknowledged long service and contributions from public servants and repeated that wage increases are acceptable if they track productivity. The Taoiseach said the executive took decisions from a different perspective and emphasised protecting incomes without fuelling inflation.
Cost-of-living and public service reform context
The exchange took place within wider concerns about the cost of living and the need to protect disposable incomes. The Taoiseach also said health requires a fundamental paradigm shift, noted the size and responsibilities of the Department of Health, and defended recent executive approaches to HSE and Garda leadership changes.
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I think it was last week you were warning here about the danger of spiralling wage costs and the danger of a wage price upward spiral. Can I ask whether that includes Secretary Generals under this government? One such civil servant has now gotten two pay rises in the last four months. His wages have jumped more than €80,000 to almost €300,000, almost as much as the President of the United States, a 36 per cent raise, while low-paid public sector workers are being told to make do with 1 per cent, and private sector workers have to gear up for industrial action just to fight for a raise above the rate of inflation. How can you justify this gross inequality, Taoiseach? Will you act to cut the bloated salaries of those at the very, very top of the civil service, or at the very least, will you support similar rises for ordinary workers across both public and private sectors? WeAN MARK WEISHEад Wallace. A value of the Miinnet Also … DEPUTY MORPHAI WANCE. DEPUTY MORPHAI. Second. DEPUTY MORPHAI,ollISA. So Ép ainda there was before march after Tip Cilleri there was an description of interest all in terms of post when it becomes vacant through the public service along with the traditional way that post has been filled. and I hear your acknowledgement of the public service that the current incumbent has performed over many, many years in different capacities within the public service on issues of key national importance and international importance as well in terms of Europe, Brexit and Northern Ireland as well as the economy and at least COVID-19. We have a good public service in this country overall. It has its weaknesses and its challenges, but the public servants in this country work in a committed way for the benefit of the country and I just want to put that on the record and it's important. Deputy Murphy raised the issue in terms of wage price spiral. Wages have increased, that's okay, and as I said last week, if wages increase in line with productivity, that's okay. I think those comments were in the context of the cost of living crisis and the government has to look at ways to protect people and against what is undoubtedly a very serious issue now in terms of cost of living increases and do it in a way that's not inflationary, but do it in a way that protects people's incomes, disposable incomes, particularly in terms of their access to the necessities of life itself in relation to the Department of Health and the Secretary General. I have been very clear about this. The executive took a decision on this from a different perspective and looking at it to a different prison. I think health, Irina, needs absolute focus, huge significant reforms right across all layers to really deal, of all departments, has an enormous budget, it oversees an enormous budget and a whole range of other issues. Apart from the firefighting of a whole lot of issues that arise every day, there needs to be a real fundamental paradigm shift in health and we can agree or disagree. I think the approach taken in relation to HSE was the correct one, likewise with the Guarda Commissioner and so on.
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