Pandemic unemployment must be tackled now – Kelly

County Wexford Sinn Féin elected representative Cllr Anthony Kelly has said that the latest state unemployment figures show that we are experiencing a pandemic of joblessness, and unless positive and decisive action is taken now, we will lose our chance of economic recovery.  The Wexford town councillor has demanded that the new coalition puts an emergency job creation programme into action immediately.

Cllr Kelly said;

“A few months ago, when Fianna Fail were busy cutting state benefits and the minimum wage, and introducing the Universal Social Charge on budget day, they promised us that unemployment would stabilise at 13.2%.  Today it stands at 14.6%, and is rising.  7.3% of our work force is now long term unemployed.  Our labour force is shrinking.  In the last quarter alone, we lost 28,000 workers.  28.8% of under 25s are unemployed.  Is it any wonder that thousands of our young people are leaving the country at that rate?  The most troublesome statistic is this.  Neither the last government nor the current one have taken any positive steps to tackle this crisis.  Michael Noonan would prefer to talk to EU leaders about bank debt than tackle Ireland’s unemployment pandemic.”

“Given how serious the situation is, the fact that the jobs plan has been kicked down the road in the Programme for Government for 100 days is outrageous.  We have half a million citizens already inflicted by this deadly pandemic, and many more worried that they will be in the next wave of victims.  What does our new government do? They review.  Review?  Either they have a plan for job creation or they don’t.  Reviews won’t take people off the dole queues.  Reviews won’t stop our young people from emigrating to find work.  Reviews won’t tackle the obvious social and economic damage that long term unemployment inflicts upon an Irish family.  This government must implement a progressive job creation programme now, or else move out of the way and let a new government that will in.”

South East Unemployment Pandemic

County Wexford Sinn Féin rep Anthony Kelly has said that the South East is suffering more than most due to the effects of this recession.  The Wexford town councillor has said that the recent Quarterly National Household Survey figures show that 41,700 people are unemployed in the south-east region.

Cllr Kelly said;

"Its a well known fact that the South East, County Wexford in particular, had a high concentration of people employed in the construction sector.  Maybe that is why unemployment in our region has now reached 18.1 per cent, compared to 8.8 per cent two years ago.  This is the highest regional unemployment rate in the State. Its a disgrace, and proof once again that County Wexford was neglected by successive governments during the boom years, while other counties prospered."

"I'm calling upon this government to honour its election promises, promises of job creation and rapid action, promises that won them the election.  The time for procrastinating is certainly not now.  This is a time for swift and progressive action.  A job creation policy must be implemented now.  Failure to do so now will write the epitaph of this government, and perhaps this nation."

Kelly proposes better protection for self employed

The Sinn Féin general election candidate for County Wexford has said that the self employed and people intending on starting up their own business in the future must be better protected.  Cllr Anthony Kelly has said that it is an injustice that many self employed people who could no longer find work to carry on, found themselves not entitled to state benefits. 

“People in this state are nearly twice as likely to set up their own business as their European counterparts,” Cllr Kelly said.  “Even now we could see new entrepreneurs standing up and taking the risk, if we give them a chance.  It is ridiculous that someone who was self employed and trying their best is penalised by the Irish Social Welfare system by often being denied access to benefits, and certainly being ran through more hoops than a PAYE worker.  It makes no sense.  How can we expect people to set up their own business if the government intends on treating them as criminals when and if something goes wrong?”

Cllr Kelly insisted changes had to be made to make self employment an attractive option.  “First of all, self employed people should be given the option of paying PRSI at the same level as PAYE workers in order to receive the same entitlements in the event that they become unemployed.  That is what Sinn Féin proposes and intends to see carried in the next Dail.  It is also essential that businesses can access credit.  I’m sure if you ask any self employed person, this has been a problem for them over the past two years.  Sinn Féin would also introduce a cap on utility prices to reduce the cost of doing business for a minimum of three years.”

Sinn Féin will protect the unemployed and low paid

Cllr Anthony Kelly has said that his party alone stands for the protection of Irelands unemployed and low paid. The County Wexford Sinn Féin candidate has promised to reverse the savage Fianna Fail budget cuts, and to help initiate a major job creation stimulus if elected.

"Fianna Fails measures for getting out this recession not only failed totally, but also attacked the most vulnerable citizens in our society," Cllr Kelly said this evening during a canvass in Ferns. "Low paid workers and the unemployed, who up until recently were tax payers, have been treated as second class citizens by the Fianna Fail led administration. Let us not forget that other parties running in this election who now claim to stand against cuts were only too happy to support the passing of budget 2011."

“Social welfare payments have been drastically cut and people are struggling to cope. The poorest of the poor are being punished because of a lack of an affective job creation plan. The Universal Social Charge is an unfair and regressive flat tax and should be scrapped. It should be replaced with a progressive taxation system which makes those who have more, pay more. The cut to the minimum wage is an affront to workers rights and is yet another targeted attack at the least well off in society."

“We in Sinn Féin are committed to:

- Reversing the social welfare cuts
- Abolishing the Universal Social Charge
- Reversing the cut to the minimum wage
- Introducing refundable tax credits
- Changing PRSI rules to protect the self-employed if their businesses fail"

10 Point plan for job creation

Cllr Anthony Kelly has said on many occasions over the past few months that job creation must be the number one priority of the next government. Here is Sinn Féins 10 point plan for job creation;

1. A jobs stimulus. Sinn Féin is advocating the transfer of €7billion from the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF) for a State-wide investment programme (stimulus). We are calling for a transfer from the fund of €7billion –– for a jobs stimulus package. This money should be administered out of the NPRF over the next 3.5 years, with the Department of Finance signing off on proposals as they are submitted from the departments. All proposals would have to have ‘value for money’ clauses and total number of people that would be employed under the proposal. €2billion would be spent on the employment stimulus in 2011.

2. Growing the agri-food sector. Deploy funding of €500million to set up and support central production hubs for SMEs involved in the agri-food sector so that they have access to advice, support and, most importantly, infrastructure and equipment perhaps not available to early- stage start-ups. We envisage existing agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and An Bord Bia to come together with Government to drive this project. This would create 5,000 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs.

Coupled with regional networking, partnerships and branding across the whole country, this measure alone has even greater potential for job creation. Investment in agriculture and the agri-food sector provides high returns for the Irish economy. The multiplier for agriculture on GDP is 1.73 and 1.76 for the food and drink manufacturing industry (if you invest €1million in these sectors, the wider economy sees a return of €1.73 million). Funding required = €500m.

Creating jobs through the construction of essential infrastructure

3. Health infrastructure. We would build 100 new primary healthcare centres throughout the State at a cost of €500million. This would alleviate the strain on our main hospitals. It would provide local healthcare for a variety of medical conditions and an excellent resource for communities. The building of these centres would create in the region of 5,000 jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs. Our pre-Budget submission provides for the lifting of the current recruitment embargo, which would allow all these centres to be staffed in the years following their construction. Funding required = €500m.

4. School buildings and refurbishment. An increased school-building and refurbishment programme for 2011 to take at least 125 schools through the construction stage. A 16-classroom generic repeat design project costs approximately €3million in current market conditions. This would cost €375million in total and create approximately 4,000 jobs directly and 1,600 indirect jobs. A minimum of 150 school-building projects should enter the architectural and planning stage each year so that school projects are ready to proceed as quickly as possible to the construction phases. Funding required = €375m.

5. Crèches. Build 100 crèches State-wide for state childcare provision at a cost of €200million, creating 2,000 jobs directly and 800 jobs indirectly. Funding required = €200m.
Assisting businesses and entrepreneurs

6. Improving communications infrastructure. Augment the current National Broadband Scheme to provide a fibre-optic island-wide network. Fast-track the €435million spend so that it is delivered beginning in 2011 instead of 2013. This will provide in the region of 4,500 jobs directly and 1,700 jobs indirectly. Funding required = €435m.

7. Assistance for those starting a business. Change the PRSI system to create a safety-net for those who attempt to establish their own business. Provide a one-stop-shop virtual helpdesk for business start-ups with legal, HR, patents, accountancy and funding advice. In addition, create an innovation website where budding entrepreneurs can pitch their business and invention ideas to investors at home and abroad. Funding required = €2 million.

8. Helping businesses to export. Create a ‘Sales Ireland’ strategy to help Irish firms access export markets outside the US and Britain and to help Irish firms looking to set up manufacturing businesses with the potential to compete with out largest imports, including R&D funding. Currently, almost 90% of exports come from foreign-owned multinationals and foreign-owned firms import over 86% of the materials they use, bypassing Irish firms.

9. Maximising employment on public projects. Rethink local authority and public sector construction, service and procurement contracts to create a level pitch for small businesses to tender. Breaking tenders into smaller pieces allows contractors with less significant turnover to efficiently tender for work. Make the employment of a set amount of apprentices a condition on which public contracts are awarded to contractors building public infrastructure.

10. Initiate a ‘Frontline Services Aides Scheme’ where people are employed to take on specific work from overworked frontline workers (e.g. civilianising administrative work that is currently done by Gardaí). Funding required = €250m.

GOREY - "AN UNEMPLOYMENT BLACKSPOT"

Sinn Fein's Anthony Kelly has described Gorey as "an unemployment black spot, which the Establishment parties have let down"

“There is a lack of infrastructure to help people find work. The town doesn’t even have a FÁS office and the FÁS Officer who is there has to use that of the local Partnership and he is only available for 3 hours and on just one day per week – (10 until 1 on a Wednesday).

This isn't surprising as a review of Fás training centres has found that almost 70 workshops and 20 classrooms it operates around the country are lying idle.

At the end of 2008, Fás employed 50 temporary instructors and 40 other temporary staff, but by last Christmas these numbers had fallen to just one temporary instructor and one other!”

Gorey job seekers must head to the Enniscorthy office where things have gotten so desperate that they are looking for a solicitor to take a job as part of the Work Placement Programme but highlighting that the job “doesn’t offer a salary!”

Several businesses around the town have been forced to close and there have been several families have had their homes repossessed. Some have even been evicted.

Referring to the infamous Coolgreany/Croghan evictions of 1887, Kelly said that "this area was known the length and breadth of Ireland (and even as far afield as Russia at that time) due to the mass evictions. Over a century later, the same thing is happening again. We just have a new set of tyrants in control"

EXODUS FROM GOREY AREA

Referring to emigration which is ravaging Co. Wexford once again, Kelly said:

I know of several cases where groups of young men and women in the Gorey area are been driven from this country. They are despairing and angry and feel that the Establishment parties have shamefully let them down and have sold out their country. They are right.

Hundreds turned up to The Bunker recently for a going-away function, where one such group of young people said their goodbyes to their friends and families, as they set out to find work at the other side of the world. It would make you so angry. It's a sick system that we just have to change.

HOPE

Sinn Féin have been pushing for a 7 Billion Euro jobs stimulus package (from Pension Reserve Fund) which will create thousands of new jobs in Co. Wexford ; many new Community Employment places and "Frontline Services Aides Scheme" among many other measures - (for further details see www.sinnfein.ie and electanthonykelly on facebook)

70% of young unemployed to emigrate

Cllr Anthony Kelly has expressed shock at the release of new figures from the National Youth Council of Ireland today which indicated that 70% of our unemployed young people plan on emigrating before the end of this year. Cllr Kelly has held the Coalition for Cuts directly responsible for the fate of this lost Generation and has once again appealed for immediate, emergency action to combat emigration.

"This morning Leo Varadkar spouted the same tired old rhetoric of cuts on national radio," Cllr Kelly said, "Its become so familiar to us all at this stage that I'm sure I wasn't the only one wondering if this was Brian Lenihan blaming the Irish people for his mistakes again. It wasn't. Instead we had the golden boy of the 'opposition' telling us that his party in power with Labour will continue on Fianna Fails deadly legacy. He even had the nerve to snigger about it. That's the opposition that they offer, laughter at the expense of the Irish people. Laughter at the expense of half a million unemployed, thousands of emigrants, hundreds of thousands of people who are suffering due to the failed policies of people like Leo Varadkar."

Cllr Kelly said that only Sinn Féin is offering a way out of this mess. "Sinn Féin knows the importance of job creation. We are the only people talking about it. That's an incredible thing considering the situation we're in, and a damning description of the other political parties. We need to get Ireland back to work. We need to stop our young people leaving by offering them what they want; jobs, a chance to earn a living, a chance to live. We have the plan and I promise that when the people of county Wexford elect me as their representative to the Dail, I will stop the modern day coffin ships leaving our shores. My party will get this country back to work."