Responding to the Government announcement on fuel costs, Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary Owen Reidy said:
It is welcome that Government recognises the impact that rising fuel costs are having on workers and their families. Given the volatile nature of the current US administration, it is important that all supports are kept under review in order to protect the most vulnerable.
But Government action alone is not enough: employers have to play their role too.
The most immediate and practical thing employers can do is facilitate more work from home in jobs that can be done remotely, and offer compressed hours or flexitime for jobs that cannot. This means fewer expensive fills at the forecourt for workers, and it is a cost-free response for employers and the Exchequer.
Government, as one of the largest employers in the State, needs to lead by example. That means facilitating remote and flexible working arrangements for civil and public servants, and paying the higher mileage rates to frontline workers using their own cars to deliver essential services in the community.
The current crisis comes on top of long-term, ongoing cost of living pressures. These pressures facing working families are not abstract. They are felt every time a worker fills the tank or turns on the heat. Employers who do nothing risk real reductions in living standards for their workers, and heightened wage demands in response.
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