Workers Solidarity Movement

A pay cut, a ‘pension levy’ and a refusal to pay agreed wage rises has been the lot of public sector workers.   Well, not quite all of them.

Former Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes has refused to give up his €100,000 Dáil pension despite earning even more as the state-appointed chairman of the nationalized Anglo Irish Bank.  He was directly appointed by Finance Minister Brian Lenihan in March.

Dukes, a former finance minister, picked up a ministerial pension worth €45,470 last year and a TD's pension worth €55,019.

Dukes earned €102,000 as a non-executive director of Anglo before his appointment and, while his salary as chairman has not yet been disclosed, his predecessor Donal O'Connor earned €151,949.

Under government guidelines, Dukes can earn up to €218,000 without breaking any pay protocols.