Fianna Fáil today pledged to prioritise job creation, as opponents accused the party of failing to do enough to prevent massive job losses.
The party said the issue would top the agenda at the annual Fianna Fáil parliamentary party conference in Galway next week.
But Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams today condemned the Fianna Fáil record in government.
After a meeting of Sinn Féin’s Ard Comhairle in Dublin, Mr Adams called for radical action to address job losses and the banking crisis.
“Its handling of the banking crisis has been disastrous. It has failed to do anything to tackle soaring unemployment,” he said.
“It is planning further cuts to public services while it puts almost €30bn of taxpayers’ money into Anglo Irish.
“Sinn Féin’s position is that this Government has to go. Forcing it to go, making it hold overdue by-elections and putting forward an alternative budget will be our priorities in this state over the coming months.
“The Taoiseach should recall the Dáil immediately to deal with these urgent issues.”
In advance of the Fianna Fáil conference, the party’s John Curran said: “The focus of this year’s conference will be on jobs and those measures that we can use to stimulate the labour market.
“Each member of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party has seen first-hand the impact the recession of the last two years has had on families and communities in their own constituency.
“Securing and creating jobs is the key issue now facing the Government.”
He added: “While other parties seem more interested in talking about elections and their electoral chances, Fianna Fáil will get on with the job of devising policy responses to the challenges that Irish people and companies are facing on a daily basis in the real economy.”