Slowdown must not be used as excuse to deliver paltry dole increase

9 Nov 2001

Government must not use the current slowdown in the economy as an excuse not to deliver an adequate increase in social welfare payments the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) said this morning.

Responding to another week of job losses Tony Monks, General Secretary of the INOU said " The current slowdown must not be used as an excuse to keep the incomes of people out of work desperately inadequate. While the current spate of job losses is extremely worrying, growth is still predicted in the year ahead. Government must invest now in the income of those out of work, or this period will be followed by one of even worse social exclusion."

The INOU has been actively lobbying Government for a £14 per week increase in the lowest rate of social welfare payments; this measure would cost approximately £700m. The increase which would bring the basic social welfare rate up to £98 per week would be welcomed as a positive commitment by Government to the majority recommendation of the PPF Benchmarking and Indexation Working Group Report. Cabinet has failed to comment on the recommendation, which calls for basic social welfare rates to be linked to 27% of Gross Average Industrial Earnings.

"The Minister for Social Community and Family Affairs has stated that if this Government is returned to office they will make progress on the benchmarking recommended in the Report.

This Government still has the resources to deliver a meaningful dole increase. Instead they seem happy to ignore the poverty faced by long term and recently unemployed people right now, and in the same breath tout benchmarking as a pre-election commitment."

The INOU pre budget submission " Investing in People and Jobs" will be launched on Friday the 16th of November at the Organisations Annual Conference in the Marino Institute.

The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese will address the conference at midday.

ENDS
For further information contact:
Tony Monks, General Secretary01 856 00088 / 087 249 6066