IBEC: Strike will add to problems facing the country

IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, has said that tomorrow’s disruption of public services "will not create a single job or make any existing job more secure".

The group said that those in the public sector "have the most secure jobs and pensions" and are "adding to the burdens of the country, as we struggle to put our finances back onto a sustainable path".

The group said it was "unacceptable and wrong" for pubic sector unions to drag the general public, including the most vulnerable in society, into a dispute with Government over their terms and conditions.

IBEC welcomed reports that some public sector workers were calling off the action to assist in flood relief efforts, and said that all those providing essential public services should follow their lead.

IBEC Director of Industrial Relations Brendan McGinty said: "It is understandable that many public servants are angry at the state of the nation’s finances. However, disrupting the lives and

businesses of their fellow citizens is neither a fair nor productive way of directing this anger. It would be better to direct this energy towards developing a plan to protect jobs and get Ireland working again.

"The real casualties of the economic downturn are the many thousands who have lost their jobs. IBEC has proposed a set of measures that would redirect public funds towards keeping people in jobs, rather than allowing a drift into spending equivalent funds on social welfare payments.

"The country would be better served if we could all agree on a shared vision that puts jobs first. This must focus on reducing costs, improving competitiveness and restoring balance to the public finances.

"Tuesday's action has the potential to seriously disrupt business and the general public. Those who are withdrawing services are doing nothing for the patients, whose operations are cancelled; for trade, due to possible disruption at ports and airports; for the meat processing industry, as the state’s agricultural officers withdraw services; and for working parents, who must find means to look after their children for the day. It is also outrageous that, in the midst of a serious swineflu pandemic, HSE vaccination clinics will be cancelled.

"Tuesday's action will do nothing constructive for the people that are on strike, or for the people that they chose to disrupt," concluded Mr McGinty.