Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá téarnamh geilleagracht Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre agus Fhine Gael bunaithe ar phá íseal agus tearcfhostaíocht. Bhí deis ag an Aire na fadhbanna a bhaineann le JobBridge agus pá íseal a réitigh sa Bhille seo. Is trua é gur shéan sí an deis sin agus is léir go bhfuil sí ag leanúint bhóthar Thatcher agus ag brú síos ar tuarastail na ndaoine. Léiríonn dearcadh ardnósach an Aire ar thuismitheoirí aonair agus iad siúd atá ag fáil íocaíocht leasaithe an turas fada atá Páirtí an Lucht Oibre tar éis taisteal óna luachanna traidisiúnta. Tá pá íseal agus poist neamhshlána fite fuaite go daingean sa mhargadh fostaíochta anois. Léiríonn na figiúirí ón bPríomh-Oifig Staidrimh a foilsíodh inniu go bhfuil duine as gach cúigear in obair pháirtaimseartha nó in obair ócáideach. Nuair a thugtann tú na daoine atá ar phoist gníomhachtú san áireamh dúblaíonn an figiúr.

Tá ceann de na rátaí is airde de dhaoine ar phá íseal san Eagraíocht um Chomhar agus Fhorbairt Eacnamaíochta in Éirinn agus tá ceann de na rátaí is airde tearcfhostaíochta ag an tír seo i measc na 28 tír san Aontas Eorpach. Níor tharla sé seo trí thimpiste. Is toradh é de pholasaithe an Tánaiste agus a páirtí. Nuair nach bhfuil rogha ag daoine óga ach idir JobBridge, pá íseal nó saol dífhostaithe, fágann siad an tír seo. Is í sin an taithí atá ag aos óg na tíre seo. Dar leis an bPríomh-Oifig Staidrimh, tá líon na ndaoine atá idir 20 agus 30 bliain d'aois ag titim bliain i ndiaidh bliana. Bhí titim 14,000 ar an méid daoine a bhí fostaithe san aoisghrúpa seo sa bhliain seo chaite. Tá an teip seo ag leanúint ar aghaidh, bliain i ndiaidh bliana. Ón toghcháin ginearálta deireanach go dtí seo d'imigh 60,900 duine idir 20 agus 34 bliain d'aois as an méid a bhí fostaithe sa tír seo.

Tá an méid céimithe atá ag fágáil na tíre seo ag éirí níos airde le sé bliana anuas. Léiríonn na figiúirí ón Údarás um Ard-Oideachas gur tháinig méadú ar líon na céimithe atá atá fostaithe thar lear i mbliana. Tá 12% de iarchéimí 2013 tar éis an tír seo a thréagean agus tá siad ag obair thar lear, i gcodarsnacht leis an mbliain 2008, nuair a thréig 5% de chéimithe na bliana sin an tír. We have the Low Pay Commission which we are told will be a panacea for tackling issues around low pay but the Labour Party has fundamentally undermined the remit of the group's work by simply limiting its remit to the minimum wage. This was a wasted opportunity and it failed to take into account the lessons learned by the British Low Pay Commission.

An independent report on low pay, which was endorsed by the Labour Party's sister party in Britain, called for a strengthened role for the Low Pay Commission in tackling poverty and a new role across sectors where low pay is prevalent. There is not a single mention of inequality or low pay in the legislation that will underpin the work of the Low Pay Commission and the Government has taken no action in regard to zero hour contracts. It is currently waiting for a report to tell it what everyone knows. It could have received the necessary data if it had simply tasked the CSO with collecting data on zero hour contracts as part of the quarterly national household survey. This is done currently by the Office of the Central Statistics in Britain.

The sad fact is that the Government, of which the Minister of State is part, has deepened inequality in our society and insecure and badly paid work is now embedded in the labour market.

The sad fact is that the Government Labour has been a part of has deepened inequality in our society. Insecure, badly paid work is now embedded in the labour market. Half of all Irish workers will earn €25,000 or less this year and will only make ends meet by relying on social transfers from the State. That is a breathtaking statistic. Seo oidhreacht an Lucht Oibre i Rialtas na tíre seo.

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