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THE GARDA REPRESENTATIVE Association wants new gardaí to be paid the average industrial wage of €33,000 a year.
New recruits to the force currently receive an annual salary of €23,171.
It has emerged that three newly qualified gardai have resigned from the force due to low pay.
The GRA said it is unable to comment on individual cases, but “can understand why people might choose to leave An Garda Síochána, especially if they are having difficulties in paying bills and supporting themselves and their families”.
In a statement the association said it is very difficult to survive on €23,000 a year.
“With rents now at an all-time high all over the country, it is extremely difficult to survive on this basic wage. Furthermore, new recruits are not in receipt of rent allowance worth €4017.55.”
New recruits gave force magazine The Garda Review accounts of the financial hardships they are facing.
Here’s what they had to say:
Garda 1:
I am 25 years old with a partner and two kids, aged five and two months. I had to take out an €8,000 loan to pay the rent on my house while I was in the garda college, so from the get go I was in debt. My partner works but is on maternity leave at the moment so she only gets €200 a week. Our rent is €1,200 monthly. My current wage just covers the cost of living. Some months I rely on my parents to give me money if something comes up as I have nothing left after bills and rent. I have applied for family income supplement from the social welfare as we earn so little.
Garda 2:
Prior to joining, myself and my wife had calculated my earnings to include the €4,000 rent allowance. We had not been advised that this had been removed at this stage, so added to our reduced basic salary of €23,000, would bring my wages to €27,000 annually. This was much lower than what I had been on in the private sector, however with overtime and allowances, we agreed that it might not be too hard to manage. How wrong we were. Upon entering Templemore we were advised that the rent allowance does not apply to new graduates. So my annual salary would be €23,000. I earned more when I worked in a newsagents when I was 18 years old. That is a fact.
Garda 3:
I’m a probationer living in the south east and stationed in Dublin. I travel 1 hour 26 minutes every day to work. I come away with about €340 net pay; €80 of which goes on diesel. I have to pay a small mortgage and the usual bills and if it wasn’t for my partner earning a good wage I’d be in dire circumstances.
Dermot O’Brien, GRA president, has called on the next government to “immediately engage with us on the issue of overall garda pay, resources and also the restoration of rent allowance for new gardaí”.
The association represents more than 10,500 rank and file members of An Garda Síochána.
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So they’re looking at quantative easing, which was absolutely out of the question to give the gullible Irlanders a dig out for saving their currency and banks, but as soon as Germanys economy slows down it full staem ahead with the QE quicker than you can say ‘I have sauerkraut in my lederhosen’.
Do I have to mention the ‘seismic shift’? If it can’t be secured now, it was a lie all along.
Unemployment still way too high, property bubble on the horizon, thousands of mortgage arrears still not being dealt with, water charges on the way to compliment all the other extra taxes introduced over the last few years, banks still restricting credit and the national debt is as high as it ever was. “Sure we’ll be grand”.
And you forgot the interest rates that will have to go up at some point. That’s going to be the real killer for Ireland
2008 was nothing. It was caused by banking debt. Now we enter a period where sh!t is about to hit the fan with SOVEREIGN debt.
When banks crash, some people lose their jobs.
When countries crash, everybody loses their life savings along with their jobs.
Quantative easing devalues savings so it’s not in the interest of Germany, a country of savers. I’m sure Germany will continue to resist it – as they should as it makes us all poorer.
George what property bubble , that is government spin, europe is an asylum doctored by Germany because the EC bank is there.
She lifted her skirt and we were amazed to see that she was a “he”. ;-)
The same story is being spun here in Spain. The economy is on the up but with nearly 6 million unemployed it is not having any effect. In august alone the nearly 300,000 people have had their dole cut off, at least a million families have all members on the dole, so they can paint all the pictures the want but the next ten years will be bleak
“Ireland: The recovery is on track but almost six years after the economic bust, fantasy economics endure.” http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1028114.shtml
Bigmac it is all lies I watch a financial banker from Germany talk on Bloomberg this afternoon. Nothing changed Germany does not see the rest of Europe as being significant or allowed any point of view. Their business sector fears if this changes the german economy will collaspe. I guess we are told this lies in Ireland because of are impending auster budget in October and an election in February 2016.
Ireland had enough our politicians know this and our growth is slowing european growth is at 0.2% not healthy because Spain and Ireland will be dragged down once again with Europe.
sure that was the situation in 07.If Europe goes down so does Ireland. If interest rates go up, Ireland goes down. “We” are living the American dream, one pay cheque from being kicked out on the street
doesnt it feel like theres an election on the way with all this spin.
Come on you boys in Green, the rest of Europe will again look upon us with the respect we deserve for our astute economic genius! Everybody go home and treat yourself to a bottle of champagne.
FFS ,?Ted r u on white powder,?
He’s on a drug called “Understanding the concept of irony”.
“Ireland steams ahead” pfft
This all sounds very familiar
Unbelievably familiar..
Yay Thursday nites on the lash are back on the cards! !
So how long will Ireland steam ahead for if its European market is dead in the water?
In your face, Europe.
US multinationals are the key drivers of Ireland’s economy, so no worries, for the moment at least. It’s a case of steady as she goes!
Our 12.5 % Corporation Tax rate; being the only English speaking country in the Euro Zone; and the excellent work of Enterprise Ireland, is what’s keeping the Yankee Dollar Investments flowing Ireland’s way. Hopefully, no major changes emerge to US corporation tax rules that might change the dynamic for FDI from there to Ireland.
If Germany okays QE, it will be to suit its own interests, and nobody else’s. But this will also suit Ireland big time. As David McWilliams says “start those printing presses”
Putin’s antics must really have messed up Germany as well as Russia’s own economy given the olive branches being held out today regarding Ukraine.
Common sense always returns when billionaires get around a table.
Such shite
Oh, isn’t that nice. JP Morgan (settled a fraud case brought by the US Justice Department for 13 billion USD) is predicitng the ECB moves. Meanwhile, the ECB hires Blackrock Financial (charged with securities fraud by the New York Attorney General) to provide advice as it ” as it thrashes out the final design of its plan, including how much, which assets, and what ranking of bonds it will buy.”
You can’t make this stuff up. What the hell are we doing in this monetary system that is run by fraudsters?
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