SIPTU has called on the Government to honour its commitments to increase statutory sick pay entitlements and introduce a living wage, highlighting the overwhelming public support for these measures indicated in a Red C poll published yesterday.
SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Greg Ennis, said: “This Government was elected on a platform which included an increase in Statutory Occupational Sick Pay from five days to seven days, a move towards the minimum wage becoming a living wage and the end to discriminatory pay rates for the young. It has thrown these commitments on the bonfire without the slightest concern for workers and their families.
“The level of opposition to this U-turn is evident in the Red C poll published in the Sunday Business Post yesterday, indicating that 56% oppose it and only 24% support it. What should give the Government even more concern is that a clear majority of those who voted for both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael oppose the delays in introducing these measures.
“The debate over such key issues as workers’ wages, business costs and enterprise performance in Ireland has at best a shaky relationship with the facts, indeed it is often dominated by mere anecdote and unsubstantiated assertion. So perhaps it is no surprise that when the Government announced the postponement of these initiatives to improve workers living standards, it didn’t feel it necessary to produce any evidence to justify its actions.
“However, for many in paid employment the delaying of rises in the minimum wage, an increase in statutory sick leave entitlements and the abolition of sub-minimum youth rates of pay, has very real impacts. The trade union movement cannot and will not allow the Government to ride roughshod over widely supported improvements in working conditions.”
He added: “If the Government does not respect the will of the people and honour its commitments it will face a major mobilisation by workers, many of whom are struggling to keep a roof over their head while enduring some of the most inadequate protections for employees in Europe. People are angry at the arrogance of this Government and broken promises, if it does not pay heed it will result in action on these issues by workers and their families across the country.”