The new entrants pay issue was picked up Saturday's Irish Times and Indo, and on RTE's Six One on Friday (see here from 33:04), while Martin Wall also gave his analysis on the issue of public sector pay demand.

In today's IT letters page, Gerard Reynolds is having none of it. He may draw some comfort from reports that that employers are rewarding employees by increasing salaries as the economy booms. 

Elsewhere on the conference agenda, Andy Pike called for civil service management to be given the flexibility to pay staff above the usual entry rates, where necessary, in order to attract suitably qualified staff.

As we wrapped up the Civil Service divisional conference on Friday, word came through that the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, announced she will facilitate access to Community Employment (CE) and Tús schemes for long-term unemployed jobseekers from June.

Fórsa responded with a reminder about the need for pensions for CE scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors.

Elsewhere, talks between Siptu and the DAA don't appear to be going well, while members of the Irish Postmasters’ Union will be balloted on proposals by An Post to save the network.

The average lifespan of a Premier League boss now stands at just over a year. My attention was drawn to The Observer's editorial yesterday, marking the departure of Arsène Wenger from the Finsbury Park helm after 22 more-than-occasionally glorious years. Chelsea have gone through 19 bosses in the same period. Part eulogy, part Brexit analogy, it concludes "history argues that his detractors should be careful what they wished for."

If you know me at all you'll know I had to plagiarise most of that last paragraph, I am tragically clueless about the beautiful game. But I know a few Gooners in these here parts, so here is their moment of Zen. Loyalty is a quality that never depreciates.