Sir, – Dr Travis Lines (Letters, October 19th) succinctly captured why so many of his colleagues have emigrated when he observed that “the best Irish doctors are looking after mums and dads in Sydney rather than Sligo because the Irish Government refuses to pay or treat them properly”.
His observation exposes the root cause of the recruitment and retention crisis across our public services. It is astonishing, then, that so many of your columnists remain detached from this reality, clinging instead to a romanticised fiction.
Pat Leahy (“Are public sector workers all as badly off as strikes might suggest?”, Opinion, October 17th) cites “guaranteed pensions”, “job security” and “automatic increments”. Cliff Taylor (“A public pay deal will be done – and here’s what it will look like”, Opinion, October 17th) argues that pensions and increments give public servants “a significant boost compared to the private sector”.
Meanwhile, Stephen Collins (“Unsustainable pay increases for public sector workers will put Ireland’s stability at risk”, Opinion, October 16th) not only blames public servant pay for the last economic crash but claims that “Even after the crash ... salaries for Irish public servants remained significantly higher than in most other developed countries”.
RM Block
If this narrative of inflated pay, golden pensions and cushy working conditions were true, one question remains: why are Irish teachers, nurses and doctors choosing to care for children, patients and communities in Sydney and Dubai rather than Sligo and Dublin?
Columnists can benchmark theoretical benefits all they like, but young professionals judge their real-world quality of life. Until the Government and its defenders acknowledge this reality, our public services will continue to haemorrhage talent to countries that actually value it. – Yours, etc,
SEAN KEAVNEY,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
