Subsidising high prices no substitute for addressing costs at source
Government accused of ‘megaphone bargaining’ on public sector pay
Unite, which represents workers across the economy, said today (Tuesday) that Budget 2027 represents a giveaway to the wealthiest while workers run to stand still.
As workers face spiralling housing costs, Unite said that the government’s focus on subsidising high prices and incentivising private landlords – including shack-in-the-back landlords – is no substitute for a housing policy driven by public provision and focused on affordability.
The union also slammed the government’s decision to prioritise giveaways for the wealthy rather than measures such as a wealth tax which could help wean the public finances off transitory corporation taxes paid by a handful of multinationals.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “What was touted as a workers’ budget has turned out to be anything but. With inflation increasing, the indexing of tax bands will leave workers running to stand still.
“Subsidising high prices – from housing to energy – is no substitute for controlling prices and profits at source.
“The government has missed an open goal of introducing a wealth tax, while using some of the corporation tax bonanza to invest in vital capital projects such as social housing and renewable energy.
“Instead, it cut inheritance tax and capital gains tax, while launching a tax-break-driven savings and investment scheme which will disproportionately benefit the highest earners.”
As workers throughout the public sector prepare to strike on 14 October, Unite slated Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers’ decision to hector unions on the floor of the Dáil rather than coming to the negotiating table with a credible pay offer.
Unite deputy regional secretary Tom Fitzgerald said: “The government’s decision to engage in budget day megaphone bargaining rather than making unions an inflation-beating pay offer is just one more example of its contempt for workers.
“Meanwhile Ireland’s lowest-paid workers still don’t know whether the move to a statutory living wage will be deferred once again at the behest of business lobbyists.
“The most effective way for workers to improve their living standards is to bargain collectively with employers. Rather than being told to wait for crumbs from the budget table, workers must finally be given a statutory right to collective bargaining. Not only would this be cost-neutral for the exchequer – the resultant wage increases would feed back into the economy.”