The Government should choose to prioritise meaningful initiatives on issues such as child poverty and public transport in the budget over what would be insignificant tax cuts aimed in many cases at people who don’t need them, according to ICTU’s Owen Reidy. Read more on that here. 

Meanwhile, the Government’s planned package for Budget 2024 risks keeping inflation higher for longer, the Central Bank of Ireland has warned, becoming the latest institution to sound the alarm on State spending plans.

Fórsa activist Pat Fallon spoke to Ocean FM about the escalation of industrial action in local authorities. Listen back to that here.

Ireland is deeply concerned at the “alarming pushback against LGBTI rights and the rise of violence and hatred towards LGBTI people at home and abroad”, the Taoiseach has said.

Government must increase funding of disability and voluntary charities or risk the “silent suffering” of the population, according to the pre-budget submission of The Wheel, Ireland’s national association of charities. The announcement is against the backdrop of the ongoing ballot of Fórsa, SIPTU and INMO members within these sectors for industrial action.

The Indo looks at the upcoming childcare strike, and says that the action should be a huge wake-up call for Government.

Zen

We have some Kylie to get us dancing this morning, Better the Devil you know is 33 years old this week and still a banger.

Have a good day folks.