Decent pay for decent work now key demand for workers
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That many workers in Ireland must endure wages that do not allow them and their families to afford a decent standard of living is unacceptable.
In the latest Quarterly Economic Observer, from the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI), the stark reality for many workers in Northern Ireland is revealed. It finds that more than a quarter - or just under 169,000, earn below the Living Wage – a minimum level of earnings which would allow them and their families to meet basic needs.
This inability of even full time workers to earn enough to adequately support themselves and their families is partially the legacy of the attack on wages we have witnessed since the onset of the economic crisis. The trade union movement is committed to rectifying this situation and ensuring that a days work once more provides a decent wage.
Despite the problems the economic outlook presented by NERI for both parts of the island is broadly positive but uncertain. Minimal economic growth is expected in both economies with an associated decline in unemployment.
That the trade union movement in Ireland has developed the capacity to generate its own well researched economic forecasts is itself part of a wider strategy to ensure that workers will never again face the onslaught on living standards they have in recent years.
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