Impact to back call for pay increases

One of the country’s largest trade unions is today expected to back calls for pay restoration across the public and private sectors, and reject employer calls for tax cuts as an alternative to wage increases.

At the opening of its biennial conference in Killarney last night, Impact trade union president Kevin O’Malley said focussing solely on tax cuts would mean working people would have to trade any sort of income recovery for worse public services, while profitable businesses and their shareholders made no contribution at all.

“It means profitable companies can continue to have their low-pay business model subsidised by taxpayers through the benefits system, which is fast becoming a safety net not for citizens who are down on their luck, but for profitable corporations exploiting the minimum wage and zero-hours contracts.”