As a locum without guaranteed hours I can never be sure if I'm going to be working from one week to the next and as such I've been told that if I go to the dole office I can get a top up on my wages should I be short because there is no work. Last week I did 78 hours yet a couple of weeks ago I had 6! Such is the nature of a locum!

So today I went to the dole office to sort it out and got told that it's going to take five to six months to process my application and even then I'm not guaranteed a positive outcome!

As I'm sure some of you can imagine this has pissed me off a little, even more so when you add that in March I'm going to be taxed an extra 7% because I work where I do. The government has decreed that public sector nurses, teachers and the police are going to be taxed an extra 7% on their pension, which takes away an extra 7% of my pay. It has not been adequately explained as to why this is happening other than "Ireland is broke, we need the money, you've got a job, you're got the money, we want it back!"

With that in mind I have written to Brian Cowen, our Prime Minister or Taoiseach as he's called over here.

Here is a copy of my letter. I'm not actually posting it until tomorrow as I have a meeting with my union rep this afternoon so might have to change it if she gives me further information. Feel free to suggest changes.

Landers
Chez Gay
County Galway

Mr. Brian Cowen
Taoiseach
Department of the Taoiseach
Government Buildings
Merrion Street
Dublin 2.

10th February 2009

Dear Mr. Cowen,

I work as a Locum Nurse in the public sector and as such I will suffer when you introduce this 7% tax levy. I’m already paying an extra 1% that I’ve never really had a problem with, as I’m happy to help out the country in this time of financial need but the segregation with this 7% is too much!

Not only will I suffer with this extra tax levy but also I won’t be getting my automatic pay increase in two weeks as you’ve frozen pay increases for public sector workers. My pay is incremental meaning as well as a pay rise to match the rate of inflation I also get an increase on the anniversary of my starting date every year I work there. Now, I won’t get this and it would have been my first one.

Why is it only the nurses, teachers and the garda that are being affected by this? Why are you not taxing the country as a whole? I think I know the answer. I think it’s because we’re an easy target. We’re public sector workers, which means your government pays us so you can get to our money a lot easier than anyone else’s.

Personally this make me think of you as nothing more than a common theif!

I went to my local benefits office today to enquire about getting a wage top-up and a medical card.

As a locum I am not guaranteed hours each week. One week I could work 78 hours (as I did last week) but then next week I could get no hours.

In March – the time you’re introducing this damn unfair tax – some of the staff who are covering other areas or on holiday return to work which means my hours will be cut again.

I was told at the benefits office that my claim will take five to six months to complete! Come that time I could be living on the streets desperate for food. Trust me, if it gets to that stage I’ll be in Dublin sat on your office steps.

Yes, I’m lucky that I have a job but just how good is that job if I’m not getting any hours!

I have a meeting with my union represetnative this afternoon and the current feeling is that we’re going to go on strike. If we do there will be people going uncared for by the nurses who actually enjoy their jobs. These people (the service users not the staff) will suffer because of you and your incompetence as leader and your incompetent government.

So Mr. Cowen, as someone who earns more than Barrack Obama, how much of a pay cut are you taking? I’m guessing you’re not being affected by this 7% tax as you’re not a nurse (you don’t care) and you’re not a member of the garda (you don’t protect) although you are a teacher (everyone – worldwide – will learn form your mistakes!).

You should be ashamed of yourself. If you and your government took a look at your own accounts and made a few cuts on non-essential items I’m sure you’d be surprised at how much you’d save. As they say – every penny helps! – how about the odd couple of million the country would save if you, the government and any house member took a pay cut and bought store brand cordial instead of Robinsons!

I’d like you, not an assistant, to reply to my letter as I think that’s the only way I can be sure you’d read but even then I have my doubts, as well as my doubts that I’ll get a reply anyway!

To make things easy for you and save you time, time is money afterall, here are the questions I’d like answering.

1. How much do you earn and how much of a cut are you taking?
2. Why are only public sector nurses, teachers and gardai that are being taxed?
3. Why do I have to wait five or six months for some benefits when I need the money now?
4. Do you expect to remain in the position of Taoiseach once a general election has taken place?
5. Is the person replying to me actually Mr. Cowen or an assistant being paid €40’000 a year because she/he can type with two fingers instead of one and had holds a degree in sterilized blackhead popping?

Kind regards,

Landers