Earn a lot, get a 3% pay cut ... earn a little, get a 5% pay cut

From the Irish Independent April 7th, 2010, "Elite civil servants: We deserve a pay rise", by Michael Brennan Political Correspondent.

Before the budget last December Brian Lenihan said that the pay of senior public servants was "too high" and there needed to be a "downward revision". The special body on higher-level pay recommended an 8pc cut to the salaries of assistant secretaries and other senior public officials (even after it took account of the scrapped bonus scheme they once enjoyed, which delivered annual payments of around €15,000 each).

So what happened?

Cleaners in government departments have taken a 5pc pay cut, the 150 assistant secretaries at the top of the civil service had their basic salaries reduced by just 3pc (from a maximum of €150,000 to €146,000).