sHopflooR MAndAte tRAde union
MARCH 2012
439,600 k r o w t u o h it w e r a emigrated 76,000 in last year
JOBS PlaN âDelUSIONalâ Same old, same old: The Coalition Governmentâs much publicised jobs plan falls well short of what is needed
THEâGovernmentâmustâactâinâthe bestâinterestsâofâitsâcitizensâand notâonâbehalfâofâtheâbankersâand speculatorsâwhoâhaveâwreaked havocâonâthisâsociety. MandateâgeneralâsecretaryâJohn Douglasâmadeâtheâcallâasâministers launchedâanâAction Plan for Jobs lastâmonth. Heâdescribedâtheâinitiativeââ whichâaimsâtoâcreateâ100,000âjobs byâ2016ââ asââdelusionalâ. âTheyâplanâtoâdoâthisâwithinâ existing,âsignificantlyâreduced budgetsâwhileâliningâupâatâleast twoâmoreâausterityâbudgets.â Thisâwould,âMrâDouglasâwarned, furtherâdriveâdownâdomestic
We need real stimulus package demand,âincreaseâunemployment andâperpetuateââanâeverâshrinking economyâ. âWhileâIrelandâburnsâonâitsâbonfireâofâdebt,âtheâGovernment launchesâaâjobsâinitiativeâthatâisâ significantlyâlackingâinâimagination andâwithâlittleâorânoânewâinnovative ideas.ââItâsâtheâsameâoldâsameâoldââ toâcoinâaâphrase.â MrâDouglasâreiteratedâMandateâs viewâthatâjobâcreationâandâgrowth remainedâtheââvitalâmedicinesââthat
wouldânurseâIrelandâbackâtoâ economicârecovery.âHeâsaid:ââWe nowâhaveâcloseâtoâhalfâaâmillionâ peopleâonâtheâdoleâwithâmanyâ familiesâbarelyâscrappingâbyâto maintainâdignityâandâself-respect. âThisâisâhappeningâwhileâourâ politicalâmastersâcontinueâtoâfeed moreâgoodâmoneyâafterâbadâintoâthe blackâholeâofâfailedâbanksâhereâin Irelandâandâalsoâtoâgreedyâbondholdersâwhoâgambledâandâlostâyet stillâgetâpaidâbyâIrishâworkersâand
society.ââAgainstâthisâbackdrop, 76,000âpeopleâhadâemigratedâinâthe lastâyearâaloneâinâsearchâofâaâbetter future.â Aâtotalâofâ1,640âcompaniesâhave beenâdeclaredâbankruptâandâthousandsâmoreâbusinessesâareâinâdire straits.ââMrâDouglasâsaid:ââLongâtermâ unemploymentâhasâincreasedâby 14.5%âtoânearlyâ200,000âpeopleââ andâthatâsimplyâisâaânationalâdisgrace.ââHeâcalledâforâfundsâthatâwere beingâusedâtoâpropâupââfailedâbanks
andâgamblingâbondholdersââtoâbe directedâinsteadâtoâinvestâinâpeople. Thisâwouldâcreateââaârealâandâ effectiveâjobsâstimulusâpackageâ. MrâDouglasâadded:ââEmigrationâis nowâsadlyâonceâmoreâinâvogueâfor ourâyoungâpeopleâdesperateâtoâfind workâbutânotâdesperateâenoughâto workâasâfreeâlabourâforâprofitable multinationalsâforâwhatâamountsâto slaveâlabourâwagesâonâgovernment initiativesâsuchâasâtheâJobBridge scheme. âWhatâaâlegacyâtheyâareâbuilding. Ourâlegacyâwillâbeâtoâfightâbackâby organisingâandâcampaigning.âIfâwe tolerateâthis,âthenâourâchildrenâwill beânext!â