Labour will drive down costs and take on price gouging – Ged Nash
Labour’s finance spokesperson Ged Nash has unveiled Labour’s plans to protect and increase incomes, take on high prices in supermarkets and in the energy and telecoms markets and to ensure people get better value for their wages.
Speaking at Leinster House today, Deputy Nash accused this Government and regulators of being “nodding dogs for the big business lobby.”
Deputy Nash said:
“Under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil families are struggling with the permanently increased cost of living and higher bills. The next government needs to put hard-pressed consumers first.
“Labour has a plan to make wages go further. Little has been done by the Government to tackle price gouging or the high costs of services which is why Labour has put forward an action plan to address this once and for all.
“In Government, Labour will reform the annual budget process and provide for the automatic increase of income tax credits and bands as well as social welfare payments to, at a minimum, beat inflation.
“Protecting people’s incomes is crucial in this high cost society.
“Work must pay. Right now, Ireland has a huge problem with low paid work. Our plan would ensure that workers receive an adequate income to afford a decent standard of living. This includes reforming the national minimum wage, as well as abolishing the shameful lower minimum pay rates for young people.
“To take on the challenge of our times, the housing crisis, we need to encourage more people into apprenticeships to beef up our building sector. Labour’s plan would extend the Living Wage to those in apprenticeships to encourage more young people to consider this career path.
“Under this government, we’ve seen good money thrown after bad. From the outrageous cost of the Oireachtas bike shelter, to the out of control spending on the National Children’s Hospital, people are sick to the teeth of the misspending of their money and the hands-off culture that encourages it.
“Fine Gael and Fianna Fail’s claims to have been responsible with the peoples’ money do not stand up to scrutiny. It’s time to trim the fat that has gathered under their watch, be responsible with the public finances, take on dominant profiteering companies and protect the interests of ordinary working people.”
ENDS
Labour’s Cost of Living action plan will:
- Protect incomes from inflation.
- Increase low pay rates.
- Reduce electricity prices to the European average.
- Tackle the high cost of insurance.
- End the penalty on instalment payments like Motor Tax.
- Make lower prices available by ending the loyalty penalty.
- Ban automatic annual price increases in service contracts.
The full plan can be found at this link: https://labour.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Labour-Cost-of-Living-Manifesto-2024-1.pdf