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NINETY YEARS ago, Ireland was in the grips of the very bloody Civil War which would impact on the political and social environment for decades to come. The Anglo-Irish Treaty fall-out and ensuing assassinations are just some of the historical events commemorated in 2012. Other memorable anniversaries include the Titanic disaster of 1912 and the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early 1960s.
Here’s TheJournal.ie‘s month-by-month guide to the big anniversaries marked in 2012:
January
President de Valera officially launched Ireland’s national television service on New Year’s Eve 1961. Throughout 2012, RTÉ has been airing a series of broadcasts to mark 50 years of Irish television, including programme highlights from those five decades:
(YouTube/rte)
February
It’s been a big year for birthdays in North Korea: what would have been Kim Jong Il’s 70th birthday was celebrated with mass military parades in February while his father Kim Il Sung’s 100th birthday was commemorated by two weeks of celebrations in April.
March
The Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day celebrated its 25th annual fundraising day on 23 March 2012. Since the fundraiser first launched in the late 1980s dozens of Irish celebrities and politicians have participated in the event; here are Taoiseach Charlie Haughey and Miss Ireland Niamh Redmond at the photoshoot for the 1997 Daffodil Day:
(Image: Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)
April
Shortly before midnight on 14 April, 1912, the Titanic luxury liner struck an iceberg while sailing from Liverpool to New York. Within just a few hours, it sank with the loss of more than 1,500 lives – just 700 of the 2,208 passengers and crew survived. Centenary memorial services were held this year at the site of the liner’s loss as well as at the ports the Titanic called to en route to New York and the home towns of the victims. Here is news reel footage shot in the aftermath of the disaster in 1912:
(YouTube/britishpathe)
June
UK head of state Queen Elizabeth celebrated her diamond jubilee – 60 years on the throne – with a range of events culminating in a colorful pageant along the Thames and a huge concert outside Buckingham Palace in early June.
Dublin Fire Brigade turned 150 years old in June 2012.
July
The victims of the Munich Olympics attacks of 1972 were remembered with a minute’s silence led by International Olympics Committee president Jacques Rogge in the days after the London 2012 Games opened in late July. Eleven Israeli athletes were killed in the attack on the Olympic Village by Palestinian militants in September 1972.
One of the kidnappers appears on the balcony of the Olympic Village building where members of the Israeli Olympic team were held hostage before being killed. (AP Photo/Kurt Strumpf/PA)
The Euro currency turned ten this year. In July, the Central Bank announced a commemorative set of coins priced at €70 to mark the single currency’s first decade in physical form.
August
Irish revolutionary leader, minister and Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiator Michael Collins was assassinated in an ambush at Béal na mBláth on 22 August, 1922 during the Civil War. Despite the enormous rifts which arose in Ireland as a result of that Treaty and led to the Civil War, around half a million people attended his funeral in Dublin, including many from the opposing side of the conflict:
(YouTube/worcesterjonny)
September
The centenary of the signing of the Ulster Covenant was marked by commemorative parades in Belfast in September 2012. The Covenant was an oath signed by almost half a million Unionists in Ulster pledging their opposition to Home Rule.
September 1942 saw the first deportation of Jews from Nazi-occupied Belgium to death camps. Only 1,200 of the 25,000 Jews deported to the camps during WWII survived. Belgium’s Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo apologised for the deportations at a commemorative event this year, saying that by assisting in the Nazi’s extermination programme, the Belgian state and its authorities “failed in their duties” and “were complicit in the most abominable crime”.
October
Fifty years ago, the world held its breath as the US and Soviet Union played chicken over the Cuban Missile Crisis amid the Cold War nuclear arms race. In the footage below, JFK addresses the US public on the escalating crisis in which the US sought to blockade Cuba and prevent the USSR from supplying it with nuclear missiles. The provision of missiles had been proposed by Cuban ally Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in response to abortive US efforts to overthrow Castro in 1961. Early in 2012, the opening of the JFK Digital Archive made masses of material available to the public, including State Department cables from the crisis period.
(YouTube/forquignon)
Pope Benedict XVI led this year’s celebrations of 50 years of Vatican II. The Second Vatican Council meetings marked a seismic movement of the Catholic Church into modernity, although decisions made in 1962 are still debated today.
Where’s Wally illustrator Martin Handford has created a special poster featuring members of England’s soccer team to mark the 25th anniversary of the illusive character.
November
On 1 November, the Sistine Chapel marked 500 years since Michelangelo finished his elaborate masterpiece.
December
The 40th anniversary of the Sackville Bombings in Dublin were commemorated on 4 December. Three bus employees were killed in the two attacks. On 1 December, 1972, Tommy Duffy, 23, and George Bradshaw, 30, were killed as they evacuated the CIE canteen on foot of a bomb warning received by the Belfast Newsletter. Little over a month later, Tommy Douglas, 21, was killed in another car bomb explosion at Sackville Place. To date, no one has been prosecuted over the bombings., and the victims’ families continue to call for justice over their deaths.
The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann) officially came into existence on 6 December 1922. That year opened with the ratification of the highly controversial and divisive Anglo-Irish Treaty by the second Dáil. Before 1922 was out, Civil War had erupted in response to the Treaty and Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins (pictured at that ratification below) were among the dead:
(PA Archive photo dated January 1922 showing the scene inside Dublin’s Mansion House during the formal ratification of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Arthur Griffiths is seated in the left-of-centre of the image wearing glasses, while Michael Collins sits facing the speaker.)
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So if you were relying on a few quid extra for Christmas, and the hours were done in Novemeber, you’d have no problem in waiting until January for it? Get real Garry…….it’s the same as any job, you do the hours you expect to get paid.
Stupid reply is all your stupidity deserves..
Post in wrong place… That was in reply to ITS Student.
The issue is that these allowances are what our families depend on to pay mortgages, bills etc
Gardai are overpaid. Gardai earn significantly more than police in Spain, Greece, Portugal, France.
# ITS Student: And when you’re all grown up you can apply for that job…. Think of all that money you’d be rolling in.
Stupid reply.
Its student.
They are most def not over paid, I wouldn’t struggle every week money wise if they were. You have no idea!
No wonder road tax will increase in the budget when people like Ruth justify the bloated salaries of Gardai. Funny world we live in.
Stop feeding the ITS troll
I did not justify a bloated salary as you put it. I stated that the gardai are not over paid. Can you back up your belief that their salaries are “bloated” with facts and figures?
But they live in Ireland and the cost of living in Ireland is substantially higher than living in Spain Greece etc.
ITS Student. I think you may be right. But in addition to being overpaid I think that a lot of Gardai (not all) enjoy perks of acting outside the law that they are supposed to obey. It’s their arrogance that I totally detest. Plus I think that they are no more than goons in blue suits for a corrupt Govt.
Definitly overpaid. Example. 26 year old Guard VS Me. 26 Year old design engineer.
Both on 36k a year. Guard works 37.5 hours a week for that. Anthing else is over time or time off to make up for it.
I work 50 ish hours a week. No-Overtime.
I make alot of money for my company with what I do. He stands at the Dail for 10 hours a day.
He gets more holidays. Money off for Doctors. Unquestioned Sick days. Can get away with paying car tax.
Wont even start on pensions.
Still arguing Ruth Daisley Martin?
10 hours standing at the dail? Where in gods name did you get that from?
Ah, no objection to the lack of paying car tax. Hoped that he was a one off case who avoided that kind of thing.
Difference is you don’t get personal threats, spat at, insulted etc every day in your job. Doubt you work weekends, nights, over Xmas, bank holidays either so give it a rest.
@Ciaran
You’re quite the joker young man
@ciara o’sullivan, firstly gardai now work a 60 hour week before they get time off with their new rosters, its not fair to say you earn more money for your company as the gardai is not about making money, when was the last time you were working at 4am on a saturday morning dealing with someone that had assaulted you, spat blood in your face, pulled a knife or pointed a gun at you, have you ever dealt with a child abuse case in your office, as for getting away without road tax thats just stupid. I know stations where you have to produce your road tax and insurance to garda management to prove its all in date ti be allowed park there I also now of plenty of gardai that have been prosecuted for no tax, insurance, drink driving etc that were caught by other gardai not the ombudsman
@Ciaran gardai work six 10 hour shifts of varying night and day shifts followed by 4 days off. There is no overtime included in normal rosters. Before you spout bullshit get your facts right
@ Ciaran O’Sullivan if the life of a Guard is so good why didn’t you join them?
I think every sentence you’ve uttered is entirely incorrect. Some actually demonstrate a high level of ignorance on your part. Maybe remove the comment, go check your facts and submit something that is accurate.
Gone very quiet there Ciaran!!!
Contrary to popular belief Ciarán, Gardai actually pay for their pensions like most public sector workers. They pay every single week into them. To the best of my knowledge something like 7.5% of their gross goes towards pension contributions and ten there’s also the pension levy so let’s not get people who actually know what they’re talking about going or you are going to look like a misinformed clown who is talking through his backside
Oh and just so you’re clear overtime is incurred after your shift has finished so that’s after Gardai have worked a 10 hour day! It’s usually because something nasty has happened and they are needed, be it a sexual assault, robbery, fatal traffic accident. You enjoy your Saturday evening in front of the tv with your family, some people are working, trying to make a difference….
I will actually apologise. I shouldnt tar all guards with the same brush due to the one rougue I know.
You work in a design company? What are the chances of you being stabbed or shot or syringed or assaulted or driven at, due to the nature of your job? What about weekends?! Saturday night on the beer(or at least able to go on the beer)?! Not for a Garda,he must look after you when you are not fit to look after yourself,while balancing that with being a social worker,marital counsellor,among many other jobs.
Christmas time. You can spend it with the ones you love,there’s every chance that some poor guards are going to be dealing with a fatal accident somewhere,and will somehow have to tell that persons loved ones that Christmas will never be the same again.
NEVER JUDGE ANOTHER UNTIL YOU’VE WALKED A MILE IN THEIR SHOES
Think the Gardai have a very thankless job. Least they could be afforded is the money for the overtime they work on time.
Sorry for my ignorance but do you in your design job get spat at, kicked and abused while working ten hour nights! If the answer is yes then I stand corrected and apologize!
I wonder if TD’s experience the same delays when claiming their expenses?
Absolute disgrace! I think they need to get a Blue Flu going
Gardai earn €60,000 per annum – hardly a “disgrace”.
its student – stop trolling you @@@hole. there is no such thing as 60k garda salary no matter how hard you look
I’d say your mother is so proud to have a child that will amount to nothing!
Keep flipping those burgers ITS
ITS, you really are two ends of a tool. I remember when I was a student like you, I knew everything. Then I left education (after my Inter Cert), and I stepped into the REAL WORLD where all the people with common sense live.
I can’t wait for you to wake up and smell the coffee, because you’re in for some shock! Ya clown.
what a joke its so the government can get extra taxes out of them, if this was to happen in any other job they would go on strike. everyone gives out about the guards but there the first ones u call in a emergency day or night they deserve to get the money they earned on time.
People have to plan paying bills, morgages etc around their pay checks and now they have to do it with even less money than their are meant to get. Why bother working nights, weekends if your not going to get paid for months!! Not to mention christmas is just around the corner
eu presidency 1st Jan. blue flu would go down very well during one of the meetings
fact!!!
Some of the lads in the pub are not fond of the cops but they all agree they should be paid on time
60k a year!! What planet is that student on!! You’d want to research your stats a bit more before posting crap like that or you’ll b a student for a long time to come !!!
ITS student. The ITS must stand for I Talk Shit.
I bet the TDs and the free loading Senators get all their money on time Hello to all cops go on strike
Yeah and those payments will wrongly be taxed at the 2013 rate. Joke
@mick kavanagh I defo agree with what u say but guards can’t make a stand. Not allowed go on strike. No union. No voice.
Delays in student grants, medical cards, garda paynents. Everyone is getting shafted. I wonder is there a delay in politician petrol money and other allowances!
i can bet that the top brass such as commissioners and superintendents are not having such problems.
cooking the books management way of bringing down payroll its wrong simply cause next year well you only spent ex amount last year hear is a bit less and it will be worst next year people should be paid what’s they are due it only lead to bigger over spends next year and false budgets based on false figures
Ye should b paid on time thats bad news but they have to make a stand and do something about it or the government will keep trying stuff like this !
Very unfair. Do their political masters have to wait that long. I doubt it.
Your dead right Ruth!
Could someone tell me more bout these bonuses cos I have never seen one come into my house
either has any of the 12500 gardai in the country!!!
Nothing surprises me anymore.. Western Australia beckons!!
This is not on at all. If talks are not successful then something has to be done
As said above in any job a salary overtime etc is agreed by both parties and should be paid when due pissin off your police force or any work force for that matter Leads to discontent and that’s never good
this really isn’t about overtime as any garda will tell you there is none to be worked in the last year or so. its mainly about night allowances, unsociable hours allowances etc not being paid which to gardai are a life saver to pay mortgage etc.
Garda medical aid is a private scheme operated by the gardai for the gardai and their families. It is a superior product to any other such as VHI. The premium is deducted from salary and I think is about €60 per week for a family.
There is no burden on the tax payer in respect of this scheme. None whatsoever. The private nature if the scheme means the operators can negotiate the prices with the testing hospitals and doctors. Having in excess of 40,000 subscribers is attractive in any business and means lower prices.
next time someone tells me they pay my wages i must remind them they are two months behind ..
Fact, a Garda will pay 62 euro per week for the Garda medical aid. Now u do the figures, Thos covers gardai for semi private cover on going to hospital, next time you comment have the facts right. By the way that’s family cover
let the crime spree begin.yee haw
@arbitrasure
Gardai work 6 shifts of 10 hrs, it averages out to 40 hrs a week , gardai get 34 days leave a year when you minus bank holidays it ends up 26 days. The pension is a fully fledged contributory pension, it averages out over 30 yrs that a Garda pays 100 euro to his pension that comes to just over 150 k . On retirement a Garda gets gratuity of around 85 k and then goes on pension of half salary of 24k per year . Fact ta average life expectancy of a retired Garda after retirement is 4 yrs. Now the difference is not that much considering . You can tell yourself what ever you want but that is a FACT.
Yes, that pension requires in excess of eur1,000,000 of a pension fund.
A public sector person, who can’t claim their pension until 6 years later at 66 (and who may not have a job in their 50s and 60s, unlike a Garda) needs to put the full money up, all eur1,000,000 of it.
A garda at 60 gets the benefit if in excess of eur800,000 of a pension fund for free, just having to contribute a fraction themselves to get to the eur1,000,000 fund size that pays them 26k per annum.
I don’t think we’re disagreeing on these facts are we?
That’s 6 shifts of ten hours, followed by 4 days off. You seem to have forgotten the last bit.
Average 6 hours work per day.
@arbitrasure
If you’re going to do an idiotic average of working hours over working and resting days.
Private sector working 8 hour day, Monday to Friday = an average of 5.7 hours.
If it’s in a week that a public holiday is in: private sector worker works 32 hours (4 days of 8 hours) = an average of 4.5 hours. In that week that Garda will still be working on the public holiday.
You are so economical with the truth, I hope you aren’t gardai.
Though your lack of awareness of the hours private sector work indicates you might be.
Anyway, my point is made. Gardai have a very healthy set of terms and conditions. Overtime is ridiculous. Pension perks are enormous.
Not saying they don’t do a good job. But just don’t claim you are poorly paid for the work.
I can see that this may be appropriate for overtime which need to be checked and counter checked and then approved before it goes to the HR office for payment. That could take up to thirty days and I assume that this is the larger amount to be paid in addition to salary, so, what’s the issue?
If you worked a bit of overtime in your job, you’d have no issue being paid 2 months later for it?? I think not.
You’d be wanting what’s owed to you and rightly so.
What’s the issue with not getting paid for working nights, weekends, holy days, bank holidays at the busiest time of the year? It’s despicable that’s the issue. I knew the country was fecked but not so much it can’t pay it’s police force/most dedicated people.
Not all of us do overtime through choice Garry sometimes our job dictates it or our circumstances….most people I know would prefer to work less hours not more but faced with having to work overtime and possibly pay extra child minding fees to do so it would be nice to be paid in the same month…
youd have no problem waiting 56 days for pay? how can kepak pay my overtime from this week in next weeks check but the government cant
@it student, who pays for your education? they should look for a refund
So you’d work till all ours of the morning and on weekend nights and not want your shift allowance for it to be paid, get real anyone who works nights gets paid for working nights not just gardai
Yes the Gardai Prison Service Nurses Ambulance are all paid by public funds where else would they be paid from They work shift work ,they work ,weekends ,Bank Holiday ,nights ,Christmas Day etc., If you are conscripted to work “overtime” you have no choice,If you are asked to work extra hours you do just like any other job you are delighted to earn extra. If any employer in the Private had their staff Work overtime and delayed paying the. Staff their dues there would be strikes and the employer would be named and shamed and condemned in the Dáil by all including the Minister for Justice
I wonder will they rise tax in Decembers budget starting the 01/01/13, that would mean that monies earned in 2012 would be taxed as if earned in 2013. Hmmmmm crafty government all the same
@ Arbitrasure gardai work a 60hour week since the new roster started 10 hour days 6 days at a time as for medical aid it provides a level of health care the same as vhi or any other private health cover which gardai pay for, an u say over time should be stopped an gardai play the system to get more money truth me know most of them don’t get a choice they have to do the over time as there is less an less garda every day and more and more criminals
Last word for me , the 4 days off works like Tis , you finish at 7 am which means you have worked 7 hrs into 1 day add in sleep/ recovery of 8 hrs which really means day is gone and your then left with 3 days off. It does not add up to as much as you think.
Sry meant to say 100 euro per week which comes to 150k
Pity about them. Most organisations do not pay any kind of bonus / allowance as they call it, or overtime in this economical environment. Banks, educational workers, government workers have received public criticism in relation to this area, yet it is ok to pay Garda bonuses & overtime. Seems some what like double standards!!!!
bonuses???? what are you on about?? entitled night allowance, unsociable hours allowance, there not bonuses as gardai work them to earn them!!!! an there is no, and I mean no overtime to gardai anymore, maybe to officers etc but not the gardai referred in this story. it would be like someone working there normal week and your bossess say because funds are tight we can only pay half your wages next week if that’s ok….many gardai rely on these “bonuses” as you put it, to pay mortgages, feed families, pay electricity. they have bills orgainised to come out the week they get paid their allowances….allowances which they work in their normal tour of duty!!!!!!!!!
Christ Laurna, how ignorant can you get!?! I presume you enjoy your weekends, bank holidays & Christmas period off work!! I’d say it’s a nice perk of your job to not have to work til 7am on a Sunday morning having all the shite of the day thrown in your face!! Kop yourself on Girl!! The boys in blue work their hours & deserve payment of their allowances on time!! In December…not February!!
Bonuses paid to the Gardai..Ha ha. No such thing lady. Gardai work night shifts & Sundays and some will get overtime for investigations, court duty or special patrols to keep your streets safer. They get paid for these shift allowances and overtime worked every consecutive forth week. Bills and family plans are arranged around the arrival of the “big cheque”. Full tax, USC is paid on allowances earned. It’s hard earned money. Gardai don’t get medical insurance, company mobile phones or laptops, company cars or gym membership paid for by their employer. The Guards are right to be pissed off at their employer delaying legitimate pay at the most expensive time of year. Lose the chip young lady. Life’s to short be be so bitter.
There are no bonuses paid. These allowances due to these people are for working the hours you are in bed, madam. Oh and for the Saturdays when you are off, and Sundays when you rest. There is nothing wrong with bring paid for working on time.
Serves them right, all they do is collect tax for thr government and abuse their power. Look at how they treated that busker a few weeks ago in Temple Bar or on a regular basis beat up and abuse protesters at yhe Corrib gas line. They shouldn’t get it at all just to punish them considering half of them don’t even know how tp actually do thier job properly. Overpaid under educated tax men in fancy uniforms. They are not protectors of the people but soldiers of hypocrisy and abuse.
Where do muppets like you come up with this stuff?
they do have little union meetings in the cells and decide what abuse they can hurl at the garda, either that or they have heard their fathers shouting it as they are dragged away in cuffs
they troll the journal, wait for a garda related story, copy and paste their normal tripe!!!! I think its funny really
Indeed. The POLICE should just go away and allow little scoobies enjoy themselves fighting, selling drugs, drive like maniacs, rob anyone they like. Ireland would be a better place without the Garda… Gimme a break you clown.
Uneducated? the majority of Gardai have degrees and diplomas since the change in training regime and change of intake criteria. There are plenty of Gardai out there with masters too. At through very least they must have a Leaving Cert. so to call them uneducated probably puts you in the same educational bracket. Therefore, by not fully thinking through your response you have in fact created a similarity between yourself and those you set out to admonish.
Probably heard their buddies down the park saying it…always the first to call upon the guards when something small happens…idiots
@Gary
Your lack of education and use of the English language is astounding. Were you dropped on your head as a child?
Only one of your two brain cells functioning today?
Are you a relation of I Talk Shit? Another clown Talking Shit.
On the plus side, I’m glad you like the uniform
At least they will get it in January. There are people waiting up to 12 months for invalidity pension as the office in Longford are understaffed. if the government won’t help their own staff what chance have the public?
I wonder do the Gardai ever delay dealing with issues on a given day until the overtime clock starts?
Do they ever hope crimes happen when it is double or triple time pay?
The answer is obvious. Ask any Garda and they’ll tell you how they work the system.
Overtime should be ceased. It’s a 39 hour week and if you need to work extra, you’ll get a bonus at the end of the year.
Overtime is for factory worker and office cleaners on minimum wage, not for our very well paid Gardai, with golden pensions, healthcare benefits and jobs for life so long as they don’t assault someone or get caught for fraud.
Trolling again I see
What healthcare benefits are you referring to!?? The Gardai don’t get any!
No trolling here; please advise if I’m wrong on any point I made.
Garda MedicalAid is a nice discounted scheme that provides superior cover to what the rest of society gets at a higher premium.
Of course you’re trolling, you can’t seem to help yourself
Gerry, address any points I made you think are “troll’y”
If you know anything about the Gardai, you’ll know the level of industry is not that high. Average arrests per station are less than one a day and most members are not stressed in their job.
Don’t get me wrong, I think we have a very good police force and am very happy that a chunk of my taxes pays for them. But let’s not play the poor mouth here and claim the Gardai are not well looked after, pound for pound, compared to a private sector worker with the same income and perks.
Overtime is a joke for gardai over a certain level of seniority and salary.
You think gardai work a 39 hour week and if they work extra they get paid at the end of the year. This statement alone shows that you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Also, you suggest that stations have an average of one arrest per day and gardai are not stressed. I’d love to see a link detailing where you’re getting your figures. Please educate yourself a little more before commenting. At least if you were trolling you would have some excuse but if your comments are serious then you are just highlighting your ignorance.
@ Arbitrasure
Medical aid isn’t a perk of the job, Garda members pay their premiums for such cover & at a HIGHER rate than VHI! So that’s that myth dispelled for starters!! And as for comparing the work and pay of a Garda to a similar role in the private sector…you can’t!! It’s a stand alone role & service with no equivalent & it’s members deserve their hard earned allowances & overtime (what crumbs of it there are left!!)
Gerard – describe things how you see them. Tell me what you disagree with in my initial comment.
I didn’t say they get paid at the end of the year for overtime, I said they should. That is if the concept of overtime should even be continued.
Don’t just coil up in indignation without giving your side of the story. If you’ve a case to make that Garda overtime is necessary and isn’t just gamed and exploited, please explain why you think that is reality.
@Nuffaid … so the Gardai voluntarily pay more for an inferior package in the closed Gardai-only package that is MedicalAid than everyone else does for VHI/Aviva?
Does that even make sense? People aren’t fools, let alone the Gardai.
Get your facts straight.
(a) It’s not a 39 hour week, it’s a 60 hour week.
(b) Being a Garda is not very well paid anymore nor is there a golden pension. 48% of pay is deducted and handed straight back to the Government every week between PAYE, PRSI, Income Levy, Pension levy, USC, Pension deduction.
All that is before the Garda even sees 1 cent to try and pay bills and buy food. Nor does it include paying the contribution for Medical Aid (which you seem to think is a benefit). Medical Aid is not a benefit, it’s essentially a health insurance exactly like VHI or Aviva.
(c) Go and look up the Garda Siochana Discipline Regulations. You will see that there is a lot of things a Garda can be dismissed for, not just assault and fraud.
Angry –
FACTS:
60 hour week is simply incorrect. The average garda works 40 hours before overtime.
Garda pension benefits require a massive pension pot, in the order of a million Euros required for a 40k per annum pension, that the Garda only contributes a fraction of. And certain Gardai get a lot larger.
Fact check back in your face dude.
@arbitrasure
Did you not suggest earlier that a Garda works a 39 hour week. Now you’re saying they work a 40 hour week before overtime? Are you now suggesting that a Garda that works 6 ten hour shifts in a row receives 20 hours overtime?? I think you’re really confusing yourself now
FACTS!
Since the introduction of the new rosters, a Garda works 6 days of 10 hour shifts (none of that is paid as overtime).
No Garda gets a pension of €40,000 per annum. Pensions are a lot smaller than that.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/garda-pension-worth-11m-1664588.html
read this.
Private sector have to put 100% into their pension. Gardai put in 10% and get over a 1million pension pot in return. That is obscene.
If I was off by 1 hour in the 39 hour week, perhaps I was throwing in the 1 hour Union perk to cash their paycheck, or launder their uniform at the public expense, or a EUR4300 travel allowance unvouched, or a non-BIK untaxed EUR4k annual rent allowance even if they aren’t renting accommodation, the list goes on.
Can of worms if the Gardai start moaning that they are underpaid.
Big picture is, you are moaning about a cushty number. This reality is it is a fantastic package. Far beyond private sector.
@Arbitrasure
Now you are showing your ignorance.
There is no “1 hour” to cash a cheque or wash a uniform.
The Gardai do not have a union. They are prohibited by law from joining a union.
The million euro pension pot per garda, 80 to 90% funded by the state seems to have missed your attention.
Let’s not get lost in the weeds with minor details like who pays for the uniform, or its upkeep.
Have you applied to join this cushy number as you have described it? If not, why not?
@Arbitrasure
I would love to meet the Garda that has a pension of €1,000,000.
Wish I could. I think I’d be a good Garda. Unfortunately I’m too old.
I’m hacking away in the private sector.
Garda medical aid is more expensive than most other medical insurances available to the public if not all
@ Arbitrasure
So you’re basically bitter at getting knocked back at the gates of Templemore!?! The truth is out!!
Your ignorance is fanciful, sir. No Garda, in my humble opinion would delay the investigation of crime in such a manner. To do so would jeopardise whatever chances they would have of a successful detection. The speedy investigation of crime has been crucial in many High profile investigations through the years.
There is no 39 hour week, the average works out at 40 throughout the year, even with the new ten hour days as some weeks the work time is 30 hours and others 60.
There is no magic and wonderful health care system. It is fully funded by the gardai for gardai and their families. It is a far superior product than any other on the market but it costs the tax payer nothing, yes nothing. The benefits of 40,000 plus members is that they can negotiate prices with treating centres and doctors. More members= better pricing structure.
Lastly this overtime and bonus crap is erroneous. The pay in the article is for time worked, nothing else. It is for 4am finishes when you are asleep, Saturdays when you are relaxing and Sundays when you are resting. In many instances the actual take home pay of an average Garda, one income, two kids after his/her mortgage is paid can’t be more than €200/€300. That’s assuming a mortgage of €1000 a month.
Angry, the way pensions work is that you need to amass a fund. The 1,100,000 Euros the Gardai get is not handed to them as a lump sum. They get a decent lump sum on retirement and then a monthly pension payment.
Private sector aren’t allowed retire onto pension until 66 years old.
But it is sweeter for Gardai: recent hired Gardai can retire at 60. Pre 2004 joiners to the force can retire at 50!
The ignorance of some people is just shocking. I won’t even entertain arguing or debating with this idiot !
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