On May 20th the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) held our Annual Delegate Conference in the Ashling Hotel in Dublin. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘A Better Future for All’. Joanne Farrell, INOU Chairperson welcomed almost ninety delegates from around Ireland to the event. We were delighted that Minister Dara Calleary TD, the Minister in two key Departments for the INOU and our affiliated organisations - Social Protection and Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht – was able to open our Conference for a second year.
In his address to the Conference the Minister talked about the evolving nature / world of work; the need for sustainable way to resolve issues; new ways of working in the delivery of services. He noted the role of the Government’s Pathway to Work strategy, the next iteration of which should be published later on in 2026, and though the labour market remains strong there are still barriers that face people trying to access it. He thanked the INOU for our ongoing work and our involvement in the Labour Market Advisory Council.
Five motions were discussed and passed at the Conference. In order to address income adequacy properly the INOU urges the Government to ensure that social welfare rates, including Jobseekers payments, lift people out of poverty and support them to enjoy a Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL). Two other motions covered the cost of living crisis and the need to ensure that supports like Fuel Allowance are enhanced and accessed by more people; and properly address the outdated means test, income thresholds and disregards for Jobseekers Allowance. One delegated noted at the Conference that means testing does more harm than good.
Independent community based organisations play a key role in the provision of supports and services on the ground, in supporting people to highlight the issues affecting them, and identifying redress mechanisms. Properly supporting these organisations and their development is critical in realising a better future for all, and the INOU calls on the Government to ensure that this happens.
In the motion covering the changing world of work, the need for investment in education and training, and supporting people to access decent work, the question was raised at the Conference about whether we should accept AI and digitalisation as inevitable – given the challenges it could throw up for community based organisations and the people we work with and represent.
Eight themes were covered in the second half of the morning through Roundtable discussions including the income adequacy and the cost of living increases; appropriate social welfare supports; social enterprises; employment supports; training and education; community organisations; employment services – how they might be more effective; and the world of work. Across these themes delegates discussed what is working; what has changed; what are the challenges that need to be addressed; and what should be done to ensure a better future for all. The INOU is grateful to the learners from the Building Futures and Shaping Futures programmes who facilitated the Roundtables and took notes of the discussions, which will feed into the development of the organisation’s Pre-budget and other submissions.
At the Annual Delegate Conference the Annual Financial Statement for 2025 and the Annual Report were also presented, the latter is available on the INOU’s website here