latest cso figures breakdown

Government inertia as unemployment spirals out of control

Speaking as figures released this week showed the unemployment rate rose to 8.3% in December, Sinn Féin Cllr. Brendan Mnasfield said Brian Cowen and his Government have spectacularly failed to grasp the gravity of the current situation and have failed to react accordingly. Cllr.Mansfield said the coalition of Fianna Fáil and the Green Party has failed to produce one single proposal to kick start the economy and called for job creation plan involving major public infrastructural investment. An extra 128 people have joined the dole queue in Dungarvan in December alone, with the figure now standing at over 1569.

He said, “At a time when every member of the Government should be up on their toes, running around busily trying to come up with a plan to take us out of the current crisis, the image coming from Government is that they are all sitting back in their chairs bending paper clips and naval gazing.

“Brian Cowen lauded himself for being one of the first heads of state to intervene to save the banking sector. And he was – fair play. But where has he been since? Where is the package for creating jobs? Why has nothing been done to retain jobs? Did Brian Cowen and his Government sit back after intervening in the banking sector and think to themselves that their work was done because it certainly seems that they haven’t grasped the gravity of the current situation.

“The FF/Green coalition has yet to produce a single concrete proposal to kick start the economy and create employment. The Government’s economic stimulus package is worthless.

“The Irish government has been amongst the last governments in the EU to produce a stimulus package. While the public is watching the state go down the tubes the government continues to sleepwalk and unemployment figures continue to rise sharply reaching the highest level in Dungarvan in decades.

“Sinn Féin has repeatedly called for a job creation plan, which would involve major public infrastructural investment.

“The solutions and skills are out there to revive the economy and provide new employment. The problem is Government hesitation, indecisiveness and incompetence, and non sensical cuts such as those to the Community Employment schemes.'' concluded Cllr.Mansfield.