An Phoblacht/Republican News   ·   Thursday October 26 1995

One job two pay packets

It was only one month ago that AP/RN highlighted the wage costs of TDs and Senators. However we made an oversight and forgot to take account of the TDs who though still working draw a ministerial pension. Bizarre isn't it? Below is a short list of some of the Leinster House pensioners and their renumerations.

Let's kick off with Peter Barry who takes home an extra £19,939 each year. Apart from the Leinster House salary, Barry and his wife Margaret also shared last year in a £778,000 payout to the four directors of the family tea business, not to mention a portion of the £220,00 in share dividends.

Other pensions included Richard Burke £9,704. MEP and TD Gerry Collins takes home another £17,427. Brendan Daly gets £16,594. Mary Harney gets a paltry £5,340 compared to other PDs Bobby Molloy, £17,223 and Dessie O'Malley, £17,215. Brian Lenihan gets £12,937 for his various forays in office while another Fianna Fáil veteran John Wilson earns £23,827.

UN Charter

The United Nations is under the microscope this week as it marks its 50th anniversary. Much soul searching and criticism of the organisation has been vented in the media during the week particularly over the UN's activities in Bosnia, Rwanda and Somalia. Less criticism has been levelled at UN organisations such as the IMF and the World Bank who are presiding over the imposition of right wing so called free market economic policies on economies all over the world.

It is also the 50th anniversary of the UN's Declaration of Human rights. Below we include just two of the articles that are often forgotten by the bankers, industrialists, multinationals and other employers that dominate and exploit the global economy.

Article 23. (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2) Everyone without discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

(4) Everyone has the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interest.

Article 24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of the working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

State's oil - people's petrol

Isn't it great to see a vibrant state-owned company seeing off multinational competition. Statoil the Norwegian State owned oil company is doing just that in Ireland.

Following the lead set by the Finnish State mining company Outokumpu, which has substantial mineral holdings in the Irish economy, Statoil has now emerged as the market leader in the motor fuels market. Having bought out BP in 1992, Statoil has now acquired the Jet service station network, giving it a possible 25% share of the Irish market. Statoil is also set to take over Aran Energy, an Irish oil producer for £198 million.

The obvious question is why is there is no proactive Irish state-owned oil company? Clearly such a company would be economically viable ensuring that our resources would be used in as promised in the 1919 Democratic Programme ''in the interests and for the benefit of the Irish people''.