Leinster House two tier legislation
We need a just social welfare system as much as we need just trade union laws and a just, open banking system
Equal treatment under the law is a generally held
aspiration of most democratic governments. Equality of
treatment when it comes to the implementation of
Government legislation should then not be too much for
any government to guarantee. That is until you come to
Leinster House and the Dublin Government.
This week Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín O Caolain spoke in
Leinster House on the Trade Union Recognition and
Social Welfare bills and highlighted the double
standards in Leinster House legislation.
O Caolain told An Phoblacht that there are very obvious
differences in the House's approach and the people for
whom they are legislating.
Caoimhghín said that ``In the Finance Bill we noted the
substantial tax giveaways to PAYE workers. While
welcome, these tax cuts favoured very much the higher
income earners in society''. The halving of capital
gains tax was another example, O Caolain said, ``of
aiding the high income earners at the expense of the
low paid''.
Now in the Social Welfare Bill we are being asked to
preside over another year of meagre increases for the
750,000 plus social welfare recipients in the 26
Counties.
``The proposed £68.40 unemployment assistance rate is a
welcome increase but it falls far short of an
acceptable level of assistance. A 1996 Combat Poverty
Agency report suggests a poverty line in 1994 terms of
£75. Surely in this period of buoyant tax revenues we
could take a step towards creating a more inclusive
society by raising the single person benefit rate to
£75 and then increasing benefit rates in line with
Combat Poverty's recommendations''.
A second part of the Social Welfare Bill which shows
the double standards in legislation is the proposal to
standardise revenue and social insurance numbers with
an identity card being given to each person which will
allow ``sharing and transfer of personal information
between specified agencies''
O'Caolain told An Phoblacht: ``Apart from the civil
rights implications of such a card there is also the
question of why such rules of disclosure do not apply
to all individuals of the state.
``Last week the Governor of the Central Bank Maurice
O'Connell told the Joint Committee on Finance and the
Public Service that he cannot, because of EU Law and
the 1989 Central Bank Act, inform the Moriarty Tribunal
or the Revenue Commissioners about the offshore bank
accounts particular individuals might hold. This is in
stark contrast to the level of information transfer
proposed in this bill''.
On the Trade Union Recognition Bill O Caolain welcomed
it. However, he said ``What is really needed is a repeal
of the 1990 Industrial Relations Act. In fact in all of
these areas - social welfare, banking and trade union
law there is a need for a complete over haul of
legislation. We need a just social welfare system as
much as we need just trade union laws and a just, open
banking system''.
BATU headquarters attacked
The headquarters of the Building and Allied Trades
Union narrowly escaped complete destruction this week
when an arson attack on the union failed. Last Sunday
evening a back window in the union building was broken
and petrol poured in. A lighted rag thrown into the
offices did not fully ignite but still caused serious
smoke damage to the building.
Sinn Féin's Seán Crowe told An Phoblacht that ``Many
families in this town remember similar attacks by
anti-union agitators in the 1930s who attacked and
burnt union buildings throughout Dublin City. Trade
unionists, no matter what their politics, should oppose
such intimidatory attacks on BATU''.
Fringe benefits
Some workers have to be content with the little things
in life, like their meagre salaries. Then there is that
other elite group of workers that we don't often hear
much about except the details of their salaries and
fringe benefits that are published annually in company
reports.
This month the spotlight falls on the Irish Permanent
chief executive Roy Douglas. Roy made what's called a
paper profit last week when be bought 52,500 Irish
Permanent shares worth £9.75 each for the knockdown
price of £1.80 each. If Roy were to sell these shares
now he would make a profit of £417,375. Not bad for a
top up to his already substantial salary.
Irish Permanent Finance director Peter Fitzpatrick also
bought cut-price shares. In his case it was 15,000
shares, making a paper gain of £119,000. Many companies
offer such profit share schemes to their workers, but
the scale of that paid to executive directors in the
Irish banking sector is, as you can see, a fairly hefty
fringe benefit.
This is not the end though for Roy. He has another
313,500 share options, meaning that he can also buy
these shares for the knockdown price of £1.80 offering
him a potential profit of £2,492,325. It just goes to
show that some people don't need to buy lotto tickets.
Banana splits
Other good wage news was shared this week by the
executive directors at Fyffes. Not limited by the
constraints of Partnership 2000 they were able to
secure a 14% wage increase in 1997. The average payment
to the executive directors in 1997 was £282,000. It
good to see that there are some benefits to being a
banana republic.
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