Labour demand real action on the runaway cost of living
The Labour Party has today demanded real action from Government to combat the runaway cost of living.
In a Dail motion, members of the Parliamentary Labour Party offered a variety of solutions that will cut the everyday costs of working people.
Moving the motion, Deputy Ged Nash, the Spokesperson on Finance said:
“Our own lived experience and that of the people we represent tells us that ever-rising heating, electricity, transport, and food costs are keeping too many people awake at night. When you add up the very real impact that rising prices are having on the everyday essentials – the things we have no choice about buying – a worker on a modest wage would have to earn an extra €4,000 before tax this year to maintain the same standard of living he or she enjoyed in 2020. That is unsustainable.
“Without a package of meaningful actions living standards will fall this year – and make no mistake about it. The Labour Party motion asks only for the government to act and behave like a government that has the back of the people. Government can make temporary changes to the VAT regime to cut electricity and fuel bills and can introduce carbon credits to help low paid working families through the winter and spring.
“The reality is wage growth is not keeping pace with the massive rise in the price of the everyday essentials. 2022 must be the year of inflation busting pay increases for all workers in Ireland and the year when we see meaningful action on the enhancement of our collective bargaining and trade union laws that ensures working people get a fairer share of what they produce.
“These are real political choices facing our Government. We can have all the headline growth rates and record tax takes we want but balance sheets mean little to people if the euro in their pocket does not stretch to cover the bare necessities. As John Hume famously said; “You can’t eat a flag”. We believe you can’t you eat good GDP figures either.”