SIPTU divisional organiser Adrian Kane has welcomed plans to introduce tiered social welfare payments from next year, but says they do not go far enough.
Mr Kane told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the trade union movement had been campaigning for such a move for many years and had highlighted the issue when Tara Mines closed earlier this year.
"The Government plans could have gone further," he said. "The State needs to step up when people need support most acutely." He pointed out that 70 percent of people are back at work after six months, so they need the most help earlier.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions had proposed a payment of a maximum of 70 per cent of salary at a maximum of €550 for nine months.
When asked about suggestions that this would not encourage people to seek work, Mr Kane said there was a need to move beyond “these kind of outdated Victorian values that you can't trust working people, that you have to starve them back to work.
“The poverty line for an individual is €298 per week in this country. The present jobseekers benefit is up to €220 per week and will move to €230 on the 1st of January. This needs to be the best country for people to work in. And we're way out of line with regard to the model that exists on mainland Europe.
"That's what we need to get to. We can afford to get to it. Workers paid much more in USC and PRSI in this country 24.3 percent on average. On the continent it's 21.1 percent. If you're unemployed in Belgium today, you'll get 91 percent of your income for the first two months.
"You'd be on 79 percent after a year. So we're completely out of kilter. We can do better and we need to do better."
