Becky Kealy: 25% Pay Cut for TDs Every Time There is a Lockdown
Aontú Rep for Cork North West, Becky Kealy, has welcomed Aontú’s new bill that mandates a 25% pay cut for TDs every time the country is put into lockdown, and called for all parties to support the bill.
Becky Kealy: “Our party has submitted a new Bill to the Dáil that if passed would cut the salary of TDs and Seanadóirí by 25% during Level 4 and Level 5 restrictions and when premises such as Pubs, Shops Cafes and Restaurants are forced to closed due to Covid Restrictions. The mantra of this government has been that “we are all in this together”, but where is that true? Hundreds of thousands of workers and businesses have had their ability to earn a salary taken away from them. They have had their income radically reduced. Many have been pushed into poverty. All the while the government gravy train continues with special advisors and pay rises.”
“How can politicians represent the people properly if they cannot relate? It’s clear that the government do not know what is like for families right around the country. Making decisions for so many people and being immune to the consequences of those decisions does not make for good governance. If politicians don’t share in the cost of those decisions, they are blind to the real experience of so many people. We believe that the chasm that exists between the people and the elected representatives has never been as wide. In the last economic crash, there was a logical downward pressure on the incomes of elected reps in line with the rest of society. But on this occasion, politicians salaries are actually going in the opposite direction to hundreds of thousands of people. While the savings to the state in this proposed salary cut may not be large its really important that everyone, including TDs pays their share of the cost of getting Ireland back on its feet. We need as a society to do all we can to keep the Covid 19 numbers down. We also need to learn with this illness that will be with us for a long period of time.”
