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The Poor Can't Pay is a civil society campaign that believes those earning the minimum wage or living on social welfare are not responsible for our present economic crisis.
Individuals and families living on or below the poverty line should not be made to pay for the economic crisis. We are calling on the Government not to cut the minimum wage or basic social welfare payments in the forthcoming budget and to reintroduce the Christmas payment.
Monday, September 7, 2009
The Poor Can’t Pay campaign held an “alternative Cabinet meeting” today to launch an campaign urging people to log on to www.thepoorcantpay.ie and e-mail their local TD’s urging them to do all in their power to protect the most vulnerable from Budget cuts.
The Poor Can’t Pay campaign also took to the opportunity to call on the Government to live up to its word to protect the most vulnerable when it meets on Friday to take decisions on spending cuts of up to €3 billion.
The campaign is a coalition of Community and Voluntary Organisations and Trades Unions who have joined forces to defend basic welfare payments, oppose any cut to the minimum wage and to ensure that the traditional Christmas Payment is continued.
Members include: Age Action, Barnardos, CORI Justice, EAPN Ireland, Focus Ireland, Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, Mandate, the National Women’s Council of Ireland, SIPTU and Saint Vincent de Paul.'
A representative of each organisation took a seat around the “cabinet” table on Molesworth St. - in the shadow of Dail Eireann - to appeal to the Government to consider the harsh impact cuts will have on thousands of families and single people living on welfare or struggling on low incomes.
A spokesperson speaking on behalf of the Poor Can’t Pay campaign said: “We are holding this cabinet meeting today to appeal directly to the Taoiseach and every single Minister to bring the key issue of protecting the most vulnerable to the real cabinet table when they are making decisions on budget cuts.”
He/she added: "These decisions cannot be taken purely on an economic basis without taking account of the terrible impact some cuts will have on the most vulnerable. Cuts to welfare payments will mean people going without food, heating and essential healthcare. It will be grossly unfair if the most vulnerable are forced to pay the cost of the economic crisis in this way and will have a very negative impact on our society.”
Sharon Kirkpatrick who also took part in the "alternative cabinet meeting" said people who did not cause the economic crisis should not be forced to pay for it through Government cutbacks.
She said: "I am going to college and bringing up my son and already in debt as we are struggling to get by on lone parents allowance and child benefit. If there are cuts to welfare payments I couldn't pay for childcare and would not be able to continue in college."
"The Government encourages people to study to boost their employment chances but there it makes it impossible for many to do so. If I could get a job tomorrow I would take it right away but there's just nothing out there at the moment."
The campaign also maintains that people living on the minimum wage cannot afford to take any cut in income. Organisers said that having a job does not protect people on low incomes from hardship as 30% of all households at risk of poverty are headed by a person in employment.
Additional information on the campaign is to be found at www.thepoorcantpay.ie
Pictured outside the Dáil are members of some of Ireland's leading NGO's and trade unions, Age Action, Barnardos, CORI Justice, EAPN Ireland, Focus Ireland, Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, Mandate, the National Women's Council of Ireland, SIPTU and St. Vincent de Paul
The Poor Can't Pay (pdf, 605 kb)
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