Labour Capitulates on Reducing Low Pay

national | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis Thursday July 28, 2011 19:50 by Paddy Healy - United Left Alliance paddy.healy at eircom dot net 88 griffith Court, D3 086-4183732

Labours shame on Low Pay

Labour's Shame on Low Pay-Labour Party has capitulated to Fine Gael by agreeing to cut low pay

Labour's Shame

Not alone has the Labour Party agreed to the scrapping of the Sunday premium for low paid workers, it has also agreed to allow employers to claim inability to pay and ,if successful, to pay a lesser rate for normal working days. In circumstances in which demand is being continuously removed from the economy by government, this can only lead to continuous reduction in the direction of the minimum wage and the effective collapse of the system. Compliant employers will be progressively undermined by those paying a lower rate.

The scrapping of the Sunday premium will simply add to the profits of highly successful multi-national retail chains at the expense of their employees.

The 100th anniversary of the founding of the Labour Party in Clonmel by Larkin and Connolly in 1912 which will be held next year will be a in the nature of a wake.

The actions of the Labour Party are an insult to the memory of Larkin and Connolly. Larkin is rightly celebrated for his heroic battles on behalf of the low-paid. In addition, Connolly is celebrated for his heroic stand for Irish Independence and sovereignty. But the Labour Party is allowing internatonal financiers to suck the lifeblood out of Ireland and even allowing them to dictate cuts in low pay under the EU-IMF Deal. When it is considered that cuts in low pay will actually worsen the national finances by lowering the tax take, the capitulation of Gilmore on the JLC issue must be the most abject surrender of Irish sovereignty conceivable. Will Gilmore have the hard neck to give an oration at Arbour Hill next May?

Paddy Healy   086-4183732

Member of National Steering Committee, United Left Alliance