Workers organised day long protests at numerous public offices and there were very visible protests at the entrance to both Naas Hospital and Kildare County Council head offices in Naas; although emergency services were operating. There was also a su
bstantial protest at the Department of Education and Science office off Dublin Road, Naas.
The main switchboard at the county council headquarters was closed throughout the day and a recorded message advised the public that services were severely curtailed although the emergency telephone number remained open.
Callers to the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Naas were simply informed that the office was closed, with no further explanation.
Kildare County Council employee Sean Byrne was among those on the picket line outside Áras Chill Dara.
He said families with a parent working for Kildare County Council had been hit by the imposition of the 7.5 per cent pension levy on top of health levies and PRSI contributions.
"Enough is enough because the public service is being targeted for cuts," said the chairman of Kildare local authorities branch of IMPACT.
"Temporary staff have already been laid off and this amounts to a 15 per cent staff reduction within the council. Overtime has been cut and expenses, not that many people earned much of these, have also been cut. Many people are affected by this including families with a son or daughter at third level education or families where a spouse had already lost his or her job because of the recession," he added.
He said the Government had other alternatives such as taxing those who are much better off.
"Cutbacks will not take us out of the recession and other countries such as Germany are dealing with their problems by spending more," added Mr. Byrne.
Nationally, he said, between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs have been lost in the public service this year.
Tom Conway, a member of Psychiatric Nurses Association, was on picket duty outside Naas Hospital.
Because his wife Catherine also works in the hospital the family have taken a "double hit".
"Every time a cut is made or a levy increased we are hit twice and it seems to me that the public service is the only grouping being made to pay up. I am willing to pay my way, so long as it is fair."
Mr. Conway said he is well aware that many in the private sector have lost their jobs altogether including members of his own family but stated that those who earn more should pay more.
"Public service employees such as the gardai and those working in hospitals must provide 24-hour cover including Sundays and Christmas Day and we expect to be paid for this extra work.
"There are 1.9 million people working but only public service employees are bearing the brunt of this.
A small group of lower paid civil servants, members of the CPSU, were protesting outside Naas garda station including two who provide clerical and administrative services for the gardai.
"The highest paid in our group is earning n35,000 and those coming in can expect to earn n23,000 per year. We feel badly treated because we have had to pay as well as those who earn more. These cuts have the effect of undermining our standard of living and are particularly hard on anybody who is single and trying to pay a mortgage," one of the protesting women said.
Another said: "We are afraid the budget might hit our income again and if it falls much more I would be as well off to give up working"
INTO branch secretary Gerry O'Donoghue said in the region of 800 teachers turned up to protest.
"There was hardly enough room on the footpath for everybody who turned up. We were very happy with the response," said Mr O'Donoghue.
Staff at NUI Maynooth were also on strike.
The library was closed and around three hundred staff, most of whom are members of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, were out on strike and pickets were mounted.
