When Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald, unveiled 34 candidates for next month’s assembly election, she said that her party wants to get back into the Executive to tackle the ‘big, big issue’ of the cost of living.
She forgot to mention that Sinn Fein has been sitting on the Executive for decades and has done nothing to protect working people from price hikes.
It has failed to push for a Hardship Fund which could protect the people. Instead, Sinn Fein and the other Executive parties delivered a one-off £200 payment for those on benefits. There was no offering to low paid workers and there was no attempt at price controls.
Against this do-nothing approach, People Before Profit proposed a ‘Hardship Emergency Fund to distribute a direct payment of at least £1000 to households hardest hit by the cost of living crisis. The Hardship Emergency payment should be means-tested and aimed at those outside the top 25% of earners.
Major energy companies and other big profitable corporations operating here should be called upon by Stormont to contribute to the Hardship Emergency Fund.’
Sinn Fein’s talk of protecting working people stands in stark contrast to how they pay sector workers.
As inflation nears 8%, the Stormont Executive imposed a below-inflation pay offer to public sector workers including health, local government, Housing Executive, Education Authority, and Transport workers.
By their deeds not their words, parties should be judged. On that count, Sinn Fein has failed on the cost of living.
