Social Partnership Post Budget: what happens next?

The Wheel is reviewing the implications for the implementation of the Towards 2016 national agreement now that both IBEC and ICTU have withdrawn from its pay element. We will be engaging with Government and officials over the coming months on this matter, as there were elements of this agreement that were of great important to the whole community and voluntary sector in Ireland and we will keep our members informed of the outcomes.

As we now know, Budget 2010 failed to protect vulnerable people from paying the price for national recovery, cutting welfare rates, introducing prescription charges for medical-card holders and increasing the price of fuel, amongst many other things.  Read our Budget 2010 analysis here.

The Wheel, together with our sixteen colleagues in the Community and Voluntary Pillar are meeting in early February to further refine the 5 Point Plan for a National Recovery that protects vulnerable people that the CV Pillar submitted to Government prior to the December Budget.  The Pillar will seek every opportunity available over the coming year to ensure that Government is aware of the options that are available to it (and the choices it will be making) to ensure that vulnerable people are protected when it frames Budget 2011.  Additionally, The Pillar will be monitoring the negative effects on vulnerable people of the provisions in Budget 2010 so that Government is kept aware of the situation over the coming year.