The Justification of Nurses and Gardai to strike

galway | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis Sunday January 17, 2010 11:51 by donkylemore - none

With rank ; duty is imposed -Noblesse Oblige

Privileged officers of the State getting generous pensions, having taken an oath to the State or to their profession have chosen to go on strike in a wave of rolling industrial actions which set out to subvert some of the most essential services in the State.

In other circumstances this would be deemed sedition .
Should legal rather than disciplinary action be taken against members of both groups if is is suspected that they are in breach of their contracts?

Public service pay strike .
Gardai / Nurses

If a Garda 's pension is calculated on his 3 last years pay divided by 3 - (highest years of remuneration ), and that Garda works extra Sundays , Week-ends etc he can enhance his income by up to 40 % -
And this additional pay , is paid at a higher basic rate per hr in any case , he can factor in an additional 40 % of his pension entitlement of retirement.
If for example a Garda earns a basic salary of € 70,000 he can expect his pension to be roughly € 70000+ 40 % = € 98000 / 2= € 49000
This last figure is the least which that officer can expect , but I have it on good authority that a Garda actually earns 60 % of his final pay which would bring his pension Salary to €58800.
But not every Garda is on € 70000 p/a, but the great many who are coming up to retirement no would be in that ball park figure.
Additionally a garda takes an oath to be subservient to the State . He is a specialist servant of the state , but it has been by Union leaders that a Garda has an entitlement to stirke. The Garda Commissioner does not share this view and he has threatened legal action for breach of contract should he choose to go on strike .
In these times ot straitened circumstances ; Is this fair.?

If a nurse works unsocial hours she equally gets a higher rate of pay / hr for that duty,
She is rewarded for , Christmas day, and every other anti-social hour of the week

But she then claims she is victimized, dons the cloak of self pity and sacrifice and expects to be treated as the virgin of the Morning Light .
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And they desert their patients to prove their dedication to their profession.

Many nurses marry Guards - Curious that ..