Last week, IMPACT trade union’s young members’ group hosted a cross-party debate on the cost of living for young workers. There were speakers in attendance from all major political parties.
 
Social Democrat councillor Gary Gannon spoke first. He said he was “proud to pay taxes”, that taxes were “his form of patriotism” and that “he did not need €200 back in his wages.” Councillor Gannon was making the point that the solution to the cost of living crisis for young people lies in investment, rather than in tax cuts.

Nadia Reeves Long, chairperson of the Young Greens argued that, in order to measure the cost of living, “we need to track what’s actually going on in the economy”. She said that “we need alternatives to GDP” and that “we should be tracking things like the percentage of people in low-wage jobs or percentage increases in homelessness”.

Fianna Fáil councillor Emma Murphy said that, in terms of the cost of living for young workers, “childcare is probably the single biggest issue arriving at my door.”

Dave O’Keefe, a People Before Profit councillor, said that “young people have always been broke” but that “today there is no guarantee of a secure job.” He finished by saying that “young people are not work-shy, this is not a generational thing.”

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Sinn Fein TD, spoke about the impact of the high cost of living on emigration. “I still know more people in Perth, Western Australia, than I do in most Irish Counties.”

Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said that “we have to stand up for trade unionism and make the case that it is entirely compatible with a modern economy.”

The final speaker was Fine Gael TD Noel Rock. He warned that we are “going to see huge changes in the next five years from, for example, automation.”

The debate was preceded by talks by outgoing president of the students’ union Annie Hoey and UCD lecturer Aidan Regan.

An audioblog of the presentations, edited by Hazel Gavigan, is available to listen back to via Soundcloud.