Govt urged to protect workers' rights
The Government must curb inflationary practices that could impact on pay increases planned under the social partnership agreement, it was warned today.
David Begg, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), said the upcoming Budget must invest in the protection of workers' rights.
"The Government needs to focus on curbing inflationary practices that could eat away at agreed pay increases.
"For example, recent gas and electricity price hikes were wrong and the regulatory regime in that sector is now driving inflation in pursuit of a flawed competition," Mr Begg said as he launched the Congress 2007 Budget submission.
"In terms of spreading our prosperity, we also need to start investing in people at all stages of their lifecycle.
"That means affordable and appropriate childcare, a properly-resourced education system, enabling people to upskill while at work, ending privatisation by stealth in the health service as it feeds inequality, ensuring the pensions crisis is addressed, investing heavily in public transport to improve people's quality of life."
Mr Begg also said that the new employment rights model agreed under Towards 2016 must be fully resourced.
"This is not an optional extra. This is central to where we as a society see ourselves. Are we to opt for the bargain-basement model where human dignity becomes a luxury or do we aspire to be a society which upholds and enforces the highest standards?" he said.
Congress called for employee tax credits to be increased by at least €350 and a single person's standard rate band to be raised by at least €5,000 per year.
ICTU also sought strong investment to enhance the skills of those with low education levels and measures to encourage children to remain in schools.
Mr Begg insisted more must be done in the Budget to aid working parents with the cost of their childcare.
Congress suggested a number of measures should be taken to tackle the pensions problem by ensuring social-welfare pensions are improved for the future, protecting occupational pension schemes and increasing contributions to work and personal schemes.
