That assertion is in the Sindo. Eilis O'Hanlon concludes that, in revealing that €2bn has been set aside in the Budget to address a new public sector pay deal: "The worst thing to do in any game is reveal one’s hand before the showdown; yet in letting it be known that €2bn is on the table, that may be precisely what the Government has done. The funds will become available if talks on reaching a deal are successful, we are told, but what does success look like?"
In the same paper, Mary Regan writes that there is growing frustration "within the Coalition over what is seen as threats by unions to remove public services for citizens at a time of global uncertainty." Regan's piece includes comment from Fórsa.
In the Daily Mail it's a similar sentiment (perhaps with more sturm und drang), as John Drennan quotes faceless, breathless ministers ('people are saying') opining on the wild hiring patterns in some parts of the civil and public service: "They appear to have gone on a spending spree. There’s hundreds of millions being spent on unapproved jobs," while at the same time bemoaning the tight grip Jack Chambers is keeping on the purse strings.
In the Irish Times, Martin Wall and Jack Horgan Jones share the byline on a report that "there are doubts over whether a proposed increase of nearly 80 cent per hour for about 200,000 workers covered by the national minimum wage will be approved by the Government," as we learn that the porridge dispute has ended and "Flahavan’s workers will see their pay boosted by between 13% and 21.5%, following months of dispute with management."
Your Zen this morning is a film recommendation. Released last Friday, produced by Liam Neeson and with a cast led by Monica Dolan, The Lost Children of Tuam is a beautifully crafted film that tells the story of Catherine Corless's tireless pursuit of the truth about the deaths of children at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam. Well worth seeing.
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