IBEC's Danny McCoy writes in the Irish Times that Budget 2024 must compensate businesses"in danger of being crushed by policy-driven labour cost increases."
As members in the community and voluntary sector make preparations for strike action from 17th October, it's good to see local media coverage capturing political support for the campaign.
The Wheel is an advocacy body representing organsiations in the sector, and has called on government to "seize this opportunity to resolve this dispute so that those in the health and community sector can continue to do what it is they do best, caring for the most vulnerable of us in time of need."
Elsewhere, the Irish Times reports that the first ever strike by barristers is set to go ahead as the Minister for Justice said any move to reverse recession-era cuts to their legal aid fees is unlikely before the budget.
Meanwhile, there's further reference in the Irish Times to recession-era cuts as one pension fund trustee argues that almost €2.4 billion "taken from private sector pension funds in retrospective taxation at the time of the financial crisis should be refunded to workers, beginning with next week’s budget." The Indo reports that the minister's not for turning on that score.
On Budget '24 - coming at us next week - the advance talk is of cuts to the USC, a new round of up to three household energy credits, and a scrapping of the planned excise increase on petrol and diesel under consideration, while the Irish Examiner reports that the Government is exploring whether to increase PRSI for workers and employers as early as January 2024.
Finally, the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use is set to recommend liberalisation of the laws around possession of common illegal drugs, while the justice minister says Garda management can order rank and file gardaí to work overtime on the days they plan to withdraw from voluntary overtime in a row over rosters.
Zen
For your Zen this morning, a little Talking Heads (above) and a little New Order (below). The classic concert movie Stop Making Sense has had a 4k restoration and I went to see it in the Lighthouse on Saturday night. Just like days of old, at those late night screenings at the Ambassador, there was dancing. And at the Point last night, Manchester's finest played a blistering set of (mostly) classics from their 40-year back catalogue. They even played my favourite New Order tune. Everybody went home happy.
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