Fine Gael will take two teachers out of every school and one in every six nurses out of hospitals if the party’s vision for the public services ever becomes a reality.
This is the view of Labour’s Galway West candidate, Councillor Derek Nolan, who said Galway’s public services are under extreme pressure and must be reformed as a matter of urgency.
Cllr Nolan has called for a comprehensive spending review of all public services and for the full implementation of the Croke Park Agreement to generate “real and meaningful savings”.
Cllr Nolan believes this is the way to protect public services and front line staff and he has come out strongly against Fine Gael’s plans, which he said would lead to the axing of the jobs of 30,000 public servants, leading to the “decimation of front line services across Galway West”.
Labour is proposing an office of public sector reform, headed by a cabinet minister to perform a comprehensive spending review of each department. According to Cllr Nolan this will ensure money is spent where it should.
“Labour will make savings in the Public Sector Pay Bill through a reduction in numbers of 18,000 over a three year period,” he said. “However we will protect front-line services through a plan of voluntary redundancy and early retirement. We believe in public services as essential components of a fair and equal society
