Sinn Fein spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Mairéad Farrell TD, has called on Minister McGrath to publish the legal advice he received in relation to pay increases for top public servants, after the government abandoned its plans to postpose pay rises.

From the first of July, Senior Civil Servants, Judges and other Senior Public Servants will receive pay increases of up to 15%.

Teachta Farrell said:

“With the government having now abandoned their plans to postpone these pay rises on foot of legal advice that they received, I think we all need to see that legal advice.

“We’ve constantly heard this government talk about the risks of a wage price spiral. Only recently both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste said we can’t have ‘wages chasing inflation’.

“It’s funny how they’re only ever concerned when it’s lower income workers getting a pay increase, but when it comes to it comes to the pay top of public servants, somehow concerns for a wage price spiral disappear.

“For those getting the 15% increase, this would be almost twice the rate of inflation.

“Contrast this with what the government offered on Friday in the public sector pay talks, which would cover the majority of lower paid Public Servants. They were offered 5% which is below the rate of inflation, meaning a cut in real terms.

“In this state if you are on a salary of over €189k, you are in the top 1% of income earners.

“This salary increase will mainly benefit those, whilst the majority of people are left to struggle on with this cost of living crisis.

“We don’t have wages chasing prices, we have a government that’s chasing its tail.”