Madam, - It is now widely accepted that the State's public service employees are generally overpaid compared with people in equivalent private sector jobs. Benchmarking seems to have been an expensive exercise, resulting in enhanced salaries rather than enhanced services. There has been little, if any, visible reform of the public service or added value delivered.
This criticism applies also to Ministers, and to TDs and Senators of all parties and none.
Mary Harney promised us Boston rather than Berlin but, on the PDs' watch, we seem to have ended up with some of the most expensive parts of Paris. There the "fonctionnaires", the numerous public-sector employees, enjoy high salaries, short working weeks, long holidays, early retirement options and generous pensions which are bankrupting France. That country will soon need its own benchmarking process, but one that will inevitably mean painful cutbacks in public sector conditions of employment.
The government has bought industrial peace by raiding the public purse, but its public service salary and pension commitments will be a severe financial burden on the State when the economy suffers a downturn. Before further damage is done, we need to stop benchmarking being simply a stroll to the ATM.
Unless phase two of benchmarking is very different to phase one, the entire process should be ditched unceremoniously by the next government. - Yours, etc,
PETER MOLLOY, Glenageary, Co Dublin.