27 April 2015
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Anti Austerity Alliance Cork City Cllr Mick Barry said this morning that wages for Ministers, TDs and Senators should be frozen after news broke that proposals are to be brought to Cabinet this week allowing for pay increases for politicians in next years Budget.
Interviewed in this morning’s Irish Independent Labour Party Minister Brendan Howlin said proposals to allow pay increases for public sector workers next year will not exclude TDs: “Ministers, politicians or anyone else – I’ve always said we are not going to segregate out people.”
A Minister is currently paid 157,540 euro per annum; a TD is paid 87,258 euro per annum and a Senator is paid 60,539 euro.
Speaking to TheCork.ie Cllr Barry said that the pay freeze for public sector workers should be ended, but that politicians should be excluded and should not enjoy the increases.
He said: “TDs are currently paid more than double the average industrial wage, about three and and half times the average workers wage, five times the minimum wage and nine times the basic social welfare payment. It is yet another reason why so many of them are completely out of touch with the day to day problems facing working class people. There should be no pay increase for politicians in next years Budget.”
Cllr Barry is expected to stand for the Anti Austerity Alliance in the next General Election and to sign a pledge that, if elected, he will “live” on the average industrial wage. It is not clear what would be done with the remaining wages if elected.
