A coalition of trade unions has called on workers to support the Affordable Ireland march in Dublin this Saturday, demanding Government action on the cost-of-living and housing crises.
The march will assemble at Parnell Square, Dublin 1, at 1.00pm on Saturday, 19th September. Trade unionists say rising housing costs, increased public transport fares and continued pressure on household incomes are making it increasingly difficult for workers to build secure lives.
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Paddy Cole, said: “The central contradiction in Ireland today is that we have a wealthy economy but the workers who create that wealth are being priced out of a decent life.
“Whether people rent or hope to buy, too much of their wages is swallowed by housing. Workers from home and abroad can have qualifications, full-time jobs and good wages, yet still be unable to leave the family home, rent a decent place to live or plan for children.
He added: “That is an abject policy failure, not a failure of the people who are trying to do all the right things. This crisis unites healthcare assistants, retail workers, civil servants, hospitality workers, construction workers, transport workers and many others. Governments respond when people organise and put them under pressure.”
Unite Deputy Regional Secretary, Tom Fitzgerald, said: “Workers throughout Ireland are facing an escalating cost-of-living crisis. Unite’s research shows well over a third of public-sector workers struggling to make ends meet, while the Government continues dragging its feet on a new pay deal.
“Public and private sector workers must turn out to demand real Government action, on the streets this coming Saturday, and on the public sector picket lines if the Government does not come to the table with a meaningful offer.”
ICTU Youth Committee member, Sumyrah Khan, said: “Young people have done everything that has been asked of them; we’ve studied, trained, found jobs and worked hard, but increasingly, having a job is no longer enough to afford a decent life in Ireland.
“Young people aren’t asking for luxury. We’re asking to be able to afford a home, pay our bills, have security at work, save and plan for our futures.
“We cannot keep accepting emigration as the answer to Government failures on housing and affordability. That’s why young workers should come out on Saturday because these are not individual problems, and through our trade unions and collective action we have the power to demand better.”