Hi °C | Lo °C CIVIL servant Michelle McCaffrey (30) is "on the breadline" and says she has nothing more to give as part of the new Croke Park deal.
Forced to work in a pub at weekends to boost her €430-a-week take-home pay, the Longford-based clerical officer in the Department of Social Protection has become part of a nationwide campaign to highlight the reality of life for lower-paid public service workers.
Michelle joined the civil service seven years ago and bought a house in 2010 in an estate that remains unfinished. "I'm already on the breadline and can't give any more," she says, and adds she has already suffered a 14pc pay cut since 2009.
Michelle has taken on a second job in a local bar, working 10 to 12 hours extra a week during the evenings and at weekends to help pay her €670-a-month mortgage and says she is only just surviving.
If the deal goes through, her next increment would be frozen for a period, costing her €300 in the next year.
Fergus Black
Irish Independent
