Sir, - Recently we have heard Government Ministers and various economists stating that, however valid the nurses' pay claim, it must not be paid because others might, or will, jump on the bandwagon with similar claims. It is unfair to reject their claims for this reason. Why victimise those with a legitimate claim because they are weak, or female, or both? Why not take on those who would destroy the economy with claims based on an outworn system of so-called relativity?
At the same time, the idea of percentage increases should also be abandoned as it causes an ever-widening gap between lower paid and better paid workers. As anyone with a brain in her head knows, 100 per cent of nothing is still nothing, and 23 per cent of a nurse's salary is still a small amount. Percentage increases perpetuate the myth that partnership treats all partners equally, and have led to the present unacceptable level of nurses' salaries. - Yours, etc.,
Jane Murphy, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.