Poll shock: voters back public sector pay hikes over tax cuts

Support for public sector pay restoration runs much deeper than previously thought

There is a deeply held belief in government that voters will take the rational choice if they are shown the consequences of their actions.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe’s biggest argument against more generous public sector pay rises is the effect it will have on services.

He has repeatedly pointed out that the €1.4 billion cost of restoring pay for the country’s 300,000 public sector workers to pre-crash levels means less money ...