Public servants turn on each other as tensions mount
There is such a high level of antipathy towards the public service at the moment that public servants in offices up and down the country are no longer talking to each other except to shout abuse.
There are no more chats by the water cooler as people go about their daily routines of emailing tired old jokes to other public servants or doing nixers. Happily, the complete breakdown in communication has not had a significant impact on productivity.
Some of the more enlightened managers in the public service are giving their staff equal amounts of time in which to shout abuse at each other. “We find this is helping. There is a lot of anger here,” a spokesman said.
Indeed, some public servants are so angry they are actually shouting abuse at themselves. “We had to send one man home as he kept calling himself offensive names,” the spokesman added.
In homes around the country where several members of the family are public servants silence reigns. A typical couple, one a garda the other a teacher, hadn’t spoken to each other in weeks except to fight.
“What sort of teacher would stop teaching sports? It’s a disgrace,” the garda said.
“Who are you to talk? A garda going on strike, what’s that about? You should be ashamed of yourself,” the teacher replied.
Some of the more traditional homes which also have priests as members of the family are no better off for obvious reasons.