The Poor Can't Pay was set up to protect those on the lowest incomes - those on welfare and those on the minimum wage. In 2010 we campaigned against the then Governments proposals to cut the National Minimum Wage by €1/hour. During the 2011 General Election we campaigned for the cut to be reversed, and welcomed the commitments of the incoming Government to make no further cuts in welfare payments and to reverse this cut. However, the wages of people on low incomes are not just protected by the National Minimum Wage, many more depend upon the protections of Joint Labour Committees and Employment Regulation Orders. These sound complicated by the issues behind them are pretty straightforward, they are explained here. Under the EU/IMF agreement the former Government agreed to review these important protections for the low paid. While that review (The Duffy Walsh report) proposed significant reforms in the system, they were broadly speaking modernised the system rather than sought to undermine it. Unfortunately, Minister for Enterprise, Richard Bruton did not believe that this review went far enough, and has proposed a that the system be dismantled, resulting in serious cuts in the incomes of those on the lowest wages. To see the difference between what Duffy/Walsh proposed and what Bruton is now proposing click here. These proposals go to the heart of The Poor Can't Pay's concerns, and we are supporting the campaigns to oppose Bruton's cuts. To support the campaign click here. Fintan O'Toole has written eloquently on the issue, and you can read his column here. |