Unions to focus on cost-of-living supports on May Day

Unions are calling on the Government to tackle the cost-of-living pressures currently being felt by workers.

It coincides with International Workers' Day, which is celebrated today, May Day.

This evening, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Dublin Council of Trade Unions will hold their annual May Day rally at the Garden of Remembrance which will be followed by a march to Liberty Hall.

The theme of this year's march is 'Can You Afford to Live?', with a focus on how the affordability and housing crises are affecting young people.

"Workers built and run this country, but workers are being priced out of it," said Owen Reidy, General Secretary, Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

"Rents topping €2,000 a month, wages that don’t stretch to the end of the week, and a generation of young people who have done everything right and still cannot afford to stay here."

"May Day is a celebration of what workers can achieve when they stand together, but it is also a warning to any government that thinks workers will quietly absorb the cost of a crisis they did not cause," Mr Reidy said.

Speaking on International Workers’ Day, the Irish Secretary of the Unite Trade Union Susan Fitzgerald said workers will not tolerate being shortchanged and that members across Ireland are determined to defend their living standards.

"We are putting employers on notice: Any attempts to shortchange workers will not be tolerated," Ms Fitzgerald said.

"Our members are determined to secure inflation-busting pay increases - at the negotiating table where possible, and on the picket line where necessary," she added.

The Government has repeatedly insisted that the recently announced fuel support packages benefits workers by lowering excise duties on petrol and diesel, as well as measures aimed at addressing the cost of food.

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is marking May Day with a call for the immediate abolition of sub-minimum rates of pay for young workers.

Ireland remains one of the only countries in the EU where young people under the age of 20 can be paid less than the minimum wage.

The NYCI has described this as age-based pay discrimination.

"With over 27,000 young workers earning less than the minimum wage, this policy only serves to further undermine living standards and exacerbate the acute problems of inequality and poverty in Irish society," said Kathryn Walsh, NYCI Director of Policy and Advocacy.

"Poverty wages are a pressing political issue, and the sub-minimum rates of pay for young workers are particularly concerning," Ms Walsh said.

The Low Pay Commission has recommended abolishing sub-minimum pay rates.

Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke has previously said that the Government has deferred any decision the sub-minimum wage until 2029.