SAFEGAURD SOCIAL WELFARE, MAINTAIN MINIMUM WAGE المظاهرة تكون يوم السبت 21 فبراير الساعة الثانية من بهارنيل سكوير بدبلن

مظاهرات نقابات العمال ضد تخفيض الحد الادني للاجور
WHEN LESS = NOT ENOUGH
SAFEGAURD SOCIAL WELFARE, MAINTAIN MINIMUM WAGE

As the world marks UN World Day for Social Justice this Friday 20TH February, EAPN Ireland calls on the Irish government not to attempt to achieve public savings at the expense of the weakest sections of society. In particular, we call on the government to oppose any lowering of minimum wage and welfare levels.

Anna Visser, Director of EAPN Ireland stated that 'The principle guiding the solutions to our public finances and the current economic crisis must be the protection of the most vulnerable'. 'This is not the time,' she continued, 'for us to make the situation of the poorest in our society even worse, therefore, it is vital for government to maintain the current levels of social welfare'. Ms Visser pointed out that 'according to an EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions in Ireland 2007, those on social welfare payments and 6.7% of the working poor were already at risk of poverty.' 'It is totally unacceptable,' she insisted, 'for these people who least benefited from the boom to be made to pay the price for its excesses.'

EAPN is currently running a European campaign on minimum income and strongly believes that adequate minimum income schemes are a fundamental prerequisite for an EU based on social justice and equal opportunity for all. As Ireland prepares to celebrate UN World Day for Social Justice, EAPN Ireland strongly urges the Irish government, as a signatory to the UN Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights which recognises 'the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family', not to entertain any attempts at cutting social welfare and minimum wage levels.

EAPN Ireland will be taking part in Saturday's demonstration organised by the ICTU, and supports the protest in its opposition to measures which hurt most those who can bear it least— people on low paid employment, the unemployed and people on welfare.

For more information contact: Anna Visser, EAPN Ireland Director, Mobile: 086 3854050; Email: http://us.mc314.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=anna@eapn.ie
Notes to the Editor:

UN World Day for Social Justice
In November 2007 UN member states committed themselves to devoting the 20th February to the promotion of social justice at national, regional and international level. To achieve their commitment to creating "a society for all" national governments worldwide pledged to promote the equitable distribution of income and greater access to resources through equality and opportunity for all. It is hoped that observance of the day will contribute to the further consolidation of the efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, especially through promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all. See: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntlJustice

ICTU March المظاهرة تكون يوم السبت 21 فبراير الساعة الثانية من بهارنيل سكوير بدبلن
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), the umbrella group of 55 unions representing about 600,000 members in the Republic of Ireland, has called for a National Demonstration for February 21, to protest government measures that threaten to lower living standards of the weakest sections of society. The march will set off from Dublin's Parnell Square at 2pm. See: http://www.ictu.ie/

EU SILC
The 2007 EU Survey of Income and Living Conditions in Ireland including definitions of poverty are available at http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/pr_SILC.htm

EAPN Ireland is a network of 150 groups and individuals working against poverty. It is the Irish national network of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN Europe), which aims to put the fight against poverty at the top of the EU, national and local agenda. It is the Irish network of EAPN Europe. See: http://www.eapn.ie/.

EAPN is a network of 25 national networks of voluntary organisations and grassroots groups active in the fight against poverty within the Member State of the EU and Norway, and of European organisations whose main activities are related to the fight against poverty and social exclusion. See: http://www.eapn.eu/.