“The extortionate pay hike for MLAs was entirely predictable but unjustifiable,” Gerry Carroll said.
“Despite the best efforts of the big Stormont parties, the public were not fooled by the establishment of an ‘independent’ Remuneration Board, repeated assertions from Executive parties that a 27% pay hike wasn’t inevitable and the Remuneration Board’s recent sham consultation.”
“Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance have recently read the room, describing this unconscionable pay increase as excessive. But their doublespeak is utterly unconvincing. If Executive parties and the SDLP truly believed that MLA pay should be benchmarked to public sector pay, they would have supported my amendment to limit pay increases to CPI inflation - but they voted this down.”
“This pay increase is particularly galling at a time when people’s energy bills are skyrocketing, with absolutely no support from a failing Labour government and inept Stormont Executive. The £1.2 million being used to line the pockets of MLAs could have been used to fund a £300 energy payment for 4,000 struggling households. This is a clear indication of Stormont’s political priorities, and will be remembered at the ballot box in 2027.”