Top public servants earning over €150,000 a year will get pay rises of up to 15% today.
It affects 4,000 people, including judges and hospital consultants.
It’s the last phase of the reversal of pay cuts from the economic crash.
By contrast, there’ll be calls for a €15 increase in the state pension at a special Fianna Fáil meeting about the Budget this morning.
The parliamentary party is gathering in Dublin to discuss the cost of living crisis.
It’ll start with a presentation from Public Expenditure Minister, Michael McGrath, before the party finalises its Budget priorities.
Meanwhile, Mary Lou McDonald says the appetite for a change of government is growing stronger.
She was speaking ahead of a public meeting hosted Sinn Féin in Carlow tonight.
The party’s President, Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty and Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin will be there.
They say they’ll be discussing the need to put ordinary workers and families first to deliver solutions to the crises in housing, health and the cost of living.
The Time For Change meeting is at 7:30pm in the Talbot Hotel and KCLR News understands Irish reunification will also be on the Agenda.
The panel will be chaired by local TD Kathleen Funchion says she’s never seen so many people struggling financially, telling KCLR News “I’ve never had as many requests from people in relation to can we maybe assist them going to community welfare or can we assist them maybe talking to the Vincent de Paul and there is people really at breaking point and it’s really, really difficult on people like I know some people are reluctant maybe and they feel, you know, people kinda breaking down telling you their story and they don’t want to be asking for this help, they feel somehow ashamed, they shouldn’t at all, it’s absolutely devastating for people”.
She adds “We’re coming into the back-to-school season already even though kids have only gotten summer holidays parents will know it’s now that the bills are being sent for books and for everything else that has to be paid for by September so it’s a really, really difficult time for people and I just think it shows how out of touch the Government are and that they really missed an opportunity even just to show people a bit of solidarity and that they are actually on their side”.
John Masterson will have more on tonight’s event on KCLR Live so tune in from 10am.
