Government Jobs Policy Has Failed – Healy
Responding to the latest CSO figures on numbers at work South Tipperary TD Seamus Healy of the Workers and Unemployed Action Group and United Left Alliance said:
“On March 31, 2012 the Fg/Lab government was over one year in office. In that time, government policy has led to destruction of 18,100 more jobs than were created. The government job creation policy has failed. This is the meaning of the figures issued by the Central Statistics Office based on its quarterly national household survey issued to-day, Thursday June 7.
“Government ministers constantly attempt to justify austerity policies on the basis that its entire approach is focussed on job creation. The reality is net job destruction.
“Measures put in place allegedly to ‘get people back to work’ have clearly failed. In the first 3 months of this year the number of jobs available fell by 7,300.
“In the governments first year in office the number classified as long term unemployed has increased by 15.1% to 60.6% of all those unemployed and the total number unemployed increased by 13,300 (+4.5%) in the year. But for emigration this figure would be greater.
“This is the result of expenditure cuts and reduction in the government capital expenditure arising from a decision to repay the gambling debts of Irish and international banks and large investors.
“This money should be used to invest in job creation.
“The Labour Party should hang its head in shame. Support for such policies are a clear rejection of the approach of Connolly and Larkin.
“The ULA is determined to create a genuine alternative political force to represent those on low and middle incomes and the unemployed.”
