Cavan/Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD Margaret Conlon has hit out at Fine Gael’s plan to cut the jobs of 196 hard-working civil servants based throughout Monaghan and Cavan. “Fine Gael has pledged to slash by 33% the number of civil servants in government departments across the country. Under Fine Gael’s plan one third of the 589 non-industrial civil servants working in Monaghan and Cavan would be in danger of being axed,” explained Deputy Conlon.

“To suggest, as Fine Gael has done, that 196 jobs can be lost in this region through voluntary redundancy and so-called ‘wastage’ is misleading and offensive.

 “Fine Gael’s savings plan doesn’t add up without compulsory redundancies. So civil servants at work in their offices in here today can look around in the knowledge that every third one of them is not wanted by Fine Gael.

“What if 1 in 3 civil servants don’t volunteer for the chop? What will Fine Gael do then?  Will Fine Gael then swing the axe whether workers like it or not and make compulsory redundancies? 

“And if not, what will they cut instead to make up the shortfall in their savings plan?  Will there be bigger reductions in child benefit than the €14 per month already planned?  Or will they give up their pretence on taxes?” asked Deputy Conlon.