Mayo Labour hopeful Harry Barrett has launched another blistering attack on Fine Gael, this time on the party’s plan to drop public sector wages by ten per cent.
Mr Barrett, PRO for the Labour Party in Mayo, said the plan would have a shock effect on Castlebar businesses and would put huge pressure on young families who are struggling to make ends meet.
“Castlebar has about 3,500 workers in the public sector, some in very poorly paid employment. Is Deputy Kenny serious when he thinks that taking ten per cent from their wages will help to hold jobs in the county town? Many businesses in Castlebar are winding up because of poor sales. They will be shocked at this ridiculous proposal,” said Mr Barrett.
He asked: “Will Dep Kenny now propose that doctors drop their fees by ten per cent to help these families? Will he insist that the VHI, the ESB, TV licence, insurance companies, dentists and solicitors do likewise?
“Having recently returned from meeting the British Conservatives, the Fine Gael leader still insists that punishing public sector workers is the way to get the economy back on track. When top economists insist that the country should spend its way out of a recession to save jobs, Fine Gael want us to adopt the British Tory approach of strangling the public sector.
“Workers in Mayo County Council, our hospitals, care homes, schools and Garda stations were not responsible for the recession. The recession was caused by political and banking failures, the consequences of that could cost the taxpayer billions, via the bank bailout.”
Mr Barrett suggested that Dep Kenny should focus again on the “real causes of the recession” and look again to best practice, as “Labour has done to get us out of it”.
