Bank Loan Repayment Strike Anyone?

national | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Tuesday February 03, 2009 17:54 by Blacbloc

What the government giveth, workers can taketh away

The extortionate pension levies imposed on public sector workers by Brian Cowen and IBEC this afternoon will further devastate the lives of the low and middle income earners. Nothing further was announced to curb the salaries of the highest paid public and private sector workers - the class of people the government is extending itself to protect above all others.

The exact details of the pension levy had to be dragged out of Brian Cowen who was trying to focus on the total amount to be raised (1.4 billion). He had to be asked exactly who would be paying what about four times before he would answer the question in detail - and certainly didn't volunteer it in his statement.

He mumbled his way through it but this is what I can recall -

15K - 3.8% levy which is about 450 per year

45K - 6.8% levy which is about 4,250 per year

300K and over 9% per year

There are other grades of levy in between these points but so far I can't find full details of the scheme on the net.

These are huge clawbacks from the lower paid and of course come on top of all the other deductions and increases in expenses already incurred.

The burning question now for workers is surely, if the social partner unions really did fall out with the government about this, we should be hearing immediate calls for strike action and protest across the board. So far as I'm aware this levy does not apply to private sector workers.