Leanna Byrne | Editor
The Young Workers Network took a stand against the cuts to the dole payments for unemployed people aged under 26 at on Kildare Street, outside Leinster House, today.
There was approximately 100 youths from various youth groups, including the Union of Students in Ireland, turned up outside the Dáil to call for TDs to come to “realistic alternatives to the unjust cuts in the budget”.
Young workers under 26 on the JobsBridge scheme are now faced with a wage of €150 per week, which works out to be a rate of €3.75 an hour.
According to the group, the cut to the dole payments is part of a bigger scheme to force down the living conditions of all.
Speaking at the protest, Vice President for Equality and Citizenship Laura Harmon told the Young Workers Network that there USI were “extremely proud to support the protest here today” and urged youths to stick together while faced with austerity measures.
“These cuts to the under 26 year olds are nothing short of callis. They will contribute to isolation and social exclusion of many young people, limiting their ability to participate full in our society. These cuts are a form of abuse to young people in a country that has seen unemployment soar by 70%.”
David Gibney from Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Youth and Mandate Trade Union said that “the decision was made to protect the rich” and condemned the government’s decision to “go after the soft targets” and not to target the wealthy in society.
“The young are not in unions, generally, they don’t vote in the numbers that the elderly vote in, and they can emigrate easier. That is the reality of the factor and that is why we’ve been targeted.”
A youth assembly titled “We’re Not Leaving!” by the Young People’s Assembly will be taking place on the 9th of November in Liberty Hall.
