SFA chairman Kieran Crowley says tough economic times require a pay “pause,” or freeze, necessary to help the Irish economy recover competitiveness lost in recent years.
Crowley said that 19,000 job losses in the first nine months of 2003 indicated that the world does not owe Ireland a living and that “we have to go out and earn it in a much more competitive environment than before.”
“It is now clear that a pay pause will be necessary to help recover some competitiveness lost in recent years,” he said. “We have consistently expressed concern regarding the level of increase in Government spending. And we’ve stressed the need for the Government to take a firm hand on expenditure and to prioritize and deliver a service based on necessity, quality and value for money. Expenditure growth of 20.3 percent against revenue growth of 4 percent will lead to financial disaster.”