Sen. Paschal Donohoe Calls on Maurice Ahern and Brian Cowen to Stop FF’s

18th May, 2009

After Fianna Fáil Dublin South candidate Shay Brennan’s statement last night (Sunday) on the Week in Politics that Fianna Fáil’s economic strategy should include a cut to the minimum wage, Fine Gael Dublin Central candidate Paschal Donohoe called on his opponent and the Taoiseach to clearly rule out a reduction in the minimum wage.

“Workers were hammered in the Budget in April with a raft of new taxes and levies. On top of that Fianna Fáil appears to be proposing a cut in the minimum wage. That would be another savage blow for workers. I want Brian Cowen and Maurice Ahern to assure workers that the minimum wage will not be cut. Now is the time to be creating new jobs, not hammering workers.

“While Fine Gael is focused on our Rebuilding Ireland plan to create 100,000 new jobs, Fianna Fáil’s only idea is to simultaneously raise taxes and cut wages. On the minimum wage issue Fine Gael has been quite clear. Our Spokesman on Enterprise and Employment, Leo Varadkar, is on the record saying that the current minimum wage rate should be frozen to protect those on low incomes.

“Brian Cowen and my opponent, Maurice Ahern, need to clearly and immediately rule out a reduction in the minimum wage. The hard-working people of my constituency and the country deserve to know right now, not after they vote on June 5, that the Government isn’t going to punish them any more than they already have.

“This is classic Fianna Fáil unfairness: bail out the bankers, make the rest of us pay. For a fairer Ireland, we need a Fine Gael Government.”