FIANNA FÁIL backbencher Mattie McGrath voted with the Government last night, despite indicating within the past week that he might support a Fine Gael motion opposing the reversal of pay cuts for high-ranking civil servants.

The Government defeated the motion, moved in Private Members’ time, by 80 votes to 73.

Mr McGrath, who represents Tipperary South, said he had engaged in a hard fight on the issue within Fianna Fáil to bring about changes since before Christmas, and he was sad to say he had failed.

“Having consulted widely over the past week with my constituents and supporters, I have decided that although I am clearly unhappy with the present situation, I am and will be in a far stronger position to effect change from within the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, the majority party in the Government.

“I have also no desire to support Fine Gael here tonight, as they clearly do not have any cohesive economic policy . . .”

Mr McGrath said that while Fine Gael TDs “offered me a lifejacket last evening, I will not take them up on their offer . . . but I will remind them they might use that for some people, fellow soldiers who have slipped overboard in recent days.”

Mr McGrath said he had a number of meetings with Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan and the Government chief whip Pat Carey.

The Government’s decision to reverse the cuts was a retrograde decision, giving bad example to people on lower grades.

Mr McGrath appealed to the senior civil servants to show leadership and and good example and forgo to some extent the benefits they had gained because of the Government’s U-turn.

He believed that the bonus system for senior civil servants was a bad policy since its inception.

A bad situation had been made worse when it was “cavalierly regarded as income of right’’, and used as a justification for the reversal of the pay cuts, he added.

“This is a nonsense and anathema to all right-thinking, hard-working citizens of this country, whether they are in the public service or the private sector.”

Mr McGrath said he had been assured by the Minister that the Government had no wish to seek further reductions in public service pay, especially from the low paid.

This had already been pledged in the Dáil by the Taoiseach, he added.

Mr McGrath’s remarks were applauded by fellow FF TDs and attracted taunts and criticism from the Fine Gael benches.

Paul Connaughton (FG, Galway East) accused Mr McGrath of leading the media by the nose on the issue in suggesting he might vote against Fianna Fáil on the issue. “Obviously, Mattie fought with his conscience and he won,” Mr Connaughton added.

Brian Hayes (FG, Dublin South West) accused the Government of engaging in a “sweetheart deal’’ with 600 civil servants.

Earlier, Ciaran Lynch (Labour, Cork South Central) said the issue was one of fairness.

“Is it fair that working people across the public sector, teachers, nurses, road cleaners, gardaí and others should see a significant reduction in their wages as a result of Fianna Fáil mismanagement of the Irish economy?’” he asked.

Mary O’Rourke (FF, Longford-Westmeath) said she wanted to refute the claim that the Government’s action was leading to the vilification of public servants.

“This is quite untrue. I am about tired . . . Every e-mail I get says you have stirred up vilification of teachers,’’ she added.

“I was a teacher. I never worked as hard in my whole life than when I was a teacher. The idea that I would publicly vilify teachers is quite amazing . . .”