Madam, - I am writing in response to Tom Geraghty's letter (March 23rd) on benchmarking in the public service.
In his defence of the benchmarking process, he mentions that a member of the Civil Service can find themselves in charge of millions of euro of taxpayers' money, managing dozens of staff, making policy decisions etc and that this person should have not have his pay compared to an assembly line worker.
He then says that every sensible person would accept this.
What a great argument. Well of course we accept that.
What I don't accept is that as a taxpayer, I have never been informed as to what jobs these civil servants' roles are being compared to.
I have never been informed as to what extent the far superior pension schemes enjoyed by the public sector have been taken into account.
I have never been informed as to what value has been given to the job security that public sector workers enjoy.
I have never been informed as to what levels of accountability these civil servants are accepting to be paid the "same" as private-sector workers who face the sack for failing to deliver targets or under-performance.
How many civil servants lost their jobs over the nursing home charges scandal? Release all the facts on the whole process and let people decide for themselves if it is fair and just. - Yours, etc,
ENDA FLAHERTY, Swords, Co Dublin.