Up to 140 civil servants took to the streets of Kilkenny with placards outside government buildings yesterday in a one-day protest over the pensions levy.
The action was part of a national strike of lower paid workers in the public service who are represented by CPSU (Civil Public and Services Union ).
Workers told the Kilkenny Advertiser that some of them were earning so little that they even qualified for a medical card.
Speaking outside the social welfare office where many of them worked, the public servants said that they were striking in a bid to highlight the injustice of the levy which only affects civil servants.
“We know the economy is bad and we are willing to take a cut but not so much. This is a huge amount to some of us. We are not highly paid employees of he public sector. In fact some of us are so low paid that as a result of our family circumstances and salaries we qualify for a medical card,” said Deirdre Bolger who works in the social welfare office.
Her colleague Mary Campion agreed.
“Why are we being hit? Our average pay is €30,000 and there are people on €300,000 who have not been hit this badly. I have a full medical card which is means tested and I am still losing €200 a month in this pension levy. I don’t think it is fair,” she said.
Both employees although they acknowledged that their jobs were secure, they believed that if the levy was across the board that it would have been easier to bear.
“All we want it fairness and equality across the board. The people on the top should suffer like we are suffering.,” said Mary.
Other protesters were also in agreement and union representatives Katherine Byrne and Katherine Fitzpatrick said that they were unhappy that the two bottom grades of employees were affected by the levy.
“We wouldn’t mind having to pay something given the current state of the economy, but this is simply too much. Why have lower paid public servants been hit with this huge levy? There are people on much higher salaries that are not paying any levy and this is why we are protesting,” they said.
The protesters received an abundance of support from passers-by with some of the protesters receiving cake and apple tart for their efforts. Others beeped their horns in friendly camaraderie.
The tax office and social welfare offices remained closed yesterday as workers made their opinions known.
Meanwhile CPSU union rep Eoin Ronayne paid the Kilkenny workers a visit from head office in Dublin in order to show his support to the employees.
