Congress seeks Taoiseach meeting for ‘just recovery’
by Niall Shanahan
 
In a message to the newly elected Taoiseach wishing him well in his new office, Patricia said workers face an uncertain future.
In a message to the newly elected Taoiseach wishing him well in his new office, Patricia said workers face an uncertain future.

ICTU general secretary Patrica King has sought an early meeting with the new Taoiseach, Micháel Martin TD, to discuss the crisis facing workers in Ireland in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

 

In a message to the newly elected Taoiseach wishing him well in his new office, Patricia said workers face an uncertain future. She said Congress has published a blueprint, No Going Back, setting out its plan for a just recovery.

 

She added: “Congress was very disappointed at the absence of any reference to employment rights or trade union recognition in the Programme for Government. 

 

“We are seeking an early meeting so that the voice of workers can be heard as the cabinet commences its work. The principles of justice, equality and fairness must be central to the Government plan.  Workers, many of whom, are often undervalued and underpaid cannot be expected to go to the back of the queue," she said.

 

Recovery plan

The Congress No Going Back recovery plan says the crisis has fundamentally changed the relationship between the state, businesses and workers, and that the “indispensability” of basic services and the welfare state are also being brought into sharp focus.

 

The document says recovery should occur as a gradual and phased unfreezing, alongside a parallel phasing out of government income and liquidity supports. The policy document covers policy in a range of areas including childcare, education, health, workers’ rights, housing, social protection and the need for a ‘new deal’.

 

Separately, Fórsa general secretary and vice-president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Kevin Callinan, has said the new Government is facing a unique set of challenges following the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. He said the new administration would ultimately be more successful in addressing these challenges by engaging in a new programme of social dialogue, bringing together unions and employers to develop shared solutions to the economic and social problems caused, or intensified, by the crisis.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

 

 

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