Workers need protection

Next week TD’s will vote on whether to support a new law that would give terminally ill people the right to control their own death when they decide their sufferable is no longer bearable. The government have stated that they intend to defer the bill for one year. This will only unduly delay the progress of the billl and the issue. The Dying with Dignity Bill 2020 would change the law in Ireland. At present it is illegal for doctors and medical professionals to help terminally ill people in unbearable pain to end their own life; this Bill would change that.

Current selection policy does not take into account the nuances of rural living, whereby a child can be 0.1km outside a catchment area due to a twist in the road. The current two tier system is a form of apartheid as it discriminates aganst a child due to its eircode, with no account to the national road grid, feeder primary schools and recent increases in local population. Concessionary children are being separated from their classmates and neighbours due to current selection criteria. This causes division and hostility in rural communities. Has any consideration been given to a child’s mental health due to this outdated selection criteria? These school bus fiascos have been going on for years. Just google it. Its a time for change and that time is now. No child should get left behind.

At a time when biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate, instead of this ludicrous scheme and bowing to lobbyists for profit, there should be increased protection for all wildlife and promotion of veganism. Fish stocks have been depleted due to overfishing and not giving time for regeneration, which are the actions of humans, not seals.

The former owner of this site should be commemorated as someone who triumphed over adversity, by dedicating this iconic viewing spot in Tramore to those who struggle due to exclusion. An accessible community garden with coffee shop would offer all in the town and beyond, a space and workplace for inclusion along with environmental appreciation.

Having lobbied for safe working conditions during a global pandemic and being unsuccessful, the workers' trade union, Unite, took on Spike Island management and won basic toilet and sanitation rights that had been shamefully denied to the workers for years. They have now been dismissed from their employment at the Kiosk on Kennedy Pier which is a blatant form of victimisation. No worker should suffer for standing up for their rights. #SupportSpikeWorkers

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to you in regards to the cuts in EWSS and PUP last Friday 18th September. Despite several thousand emails arriving into TD's inboxes last week on this matter, all we have received are unfulfilled promises from the current government. The news of these cuts came at the same time we were informed that the bars in Dublin and surrounding areas would be shut for a further 3 weeks! To say this is kicking us while we're down, is an understatement. I know a lot of local constituents facing hardship as a direct result of the lack of action, leadership, and support from the current government, during this pandemic. This includes volumes of bartenders, chefs, kitchen porters, managers, servers, reservations staff, security, HR departments, young performers and musicians! There is a deep rooted culture that is being neglected for public health reasons, and although that is justifiable, it does not in the slightest justify the lack of support we need to receive for our sacrifices. It has now reached a point in time where some are making the decision between the roof over their heads and the food on their tables. There is a terrible attitude towards live performers and the hospitality sector, as if our professions do not justify the money we receive. That is very much pandering to a division in class, and it totally undermines the lengths and efforts to develop and master the talents that we were given. As you are well aware, the amount of revenue the government receives from the Tourism, Hospitality, and Live entertainment industries through taxation is substantial! License fees, VAT, PAYE, the list goes on! We have paid our fair way just like any other fully employed person has done and we should continue to receive the PUP until our industry is open again. To say there is a feeling of no confidence in this government is an understatement. Change was demanded at the beginning of this year and when this Dail was formed. We were promised change by the same two parties that have promised it so many times and failed to deliver. We were promised change when the opposition stepped back on forming a left minority. We were promised change and the only change we have witnessed has been in the wrong direction for us. It has taken 8 months to come up with a less than adequate 5 level plan for this pandemic, an issue that requires emergency response times and clear concise rules, not guidelines! We understand that a pandemic of this nature is quite a challenge for any government to tackle and our advice to you as the owners and workers of the hospitality sector is to listen to your constituents, especially the experts of each respective sector. In our case, we have sacrificed our main source of income to help you tackle this public health crisis, the least you can do is to help us in return. We demand the immediate reinstatement of the EWSS and PUP payment at the full rate per week (350EUR) for the highly skilled staff and businesses of this valued sector, until the sector (which is fully closed by government under public health advice) is allowed to return to work. We will continue to do our part for the sake of this country and we hope you will hold your end of the bargain too. Go raibh maith agaibh,

The Costs of Not Supporting the Restaurant Sector Providing support to restaurant businesses will come at a significant financial cost to the Exchequer. The proposed measures would cost around €1.6 billion in a full year. However, the costs of not providing adequate support and allowing thousands of businesses to die, would far outweigh those costs. It is conceivable that without adequate support during this 24-month period, up to 100,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. Such an outcome would impose a very significant cost on the Exchequer, which could be as high as €2.8 billion. If 100,000 workers were to remain unemployed for a full year: •It would cost the Exchequer around €2 billion in increased social protection expenditure. •It would cost the Exchequer up to up to €500 million in lost payroll taxes. •It would cost the Exchequer around €240 million in lost VAT receipts; and •It would cost local authorities around €52 million in lost commercial rates.

The pandemic has exposed big failings in how workers are protected against loss of income when they have to take days off work due to sickness. Ireland is completely out of line with European norms in not requiring all employers to continue to pay our wages if we are forced to miss work because we fall ill. We ask that a guaranteed period of paid sick leave of no less than 2 weeks and paid at 100% of the worker's wage is mandatory. Hundreds and thousands of low paid essential workers do not receive sick pay and face being financially compelled to keep working when sick.

Gabby Connelly was only 17 when she was placed in a B&B where she was sexually assaulted. No prior police checks where carried out on those working in the B&B. The sexual assault impacted Gabby massively and when Gabby sought counselling she was told she would have to wait 3 months. Tragically Gabby is no longer with us to fight for this change, however her mum Lisa has started this campaign #JusticeForGabby to ensure change happens within the care system. We recognise the huge need for more supportive living accommodation and centres to work with those in care and or leaving care. Gabby recorded her story a few months before her death where she highlights the failings within the system. Please support our campaign by signing and sharing this petition. This is only the start of #JusticeForGabby.

** The Balance is Wrong! ** Current evidence proves that it is next-to-impossible for non-commercial activities to survive in Temple Bar with artistic and cultural endeavours being pushed to the side. We believe that there is a lack of balance between all stakeholders and there is an over emphasis on money making activities, to the detriment of the Temple Bar area. Temple Bar area has been designated and developed to be a cultural hotspot for Dublin, with supposed encouragement given to small businesses, art and culture projects, and the repopulation of the area. However, the dominance of large (super) pubs and the increasing number of restaurants (incl. fast food) has led to many Dubliners avoiding the area as its largely regarded as a drinking and clubbing area with a reputation for anti-social behaviour and drug use. ** Our Story (Who Are We?) ** We are the Icon Walk project (a registered charity) based on Aston Place in Temple Bar. We are an artist collective. The Icon Factory and Aga Szot Studio are part of our activities and are responsible for much of our fundraising. We have a new landlord that seeks vacant possession of the premises, to make way for a proposed restaurant. We will fight in court, and even if we win, it may be a pyrrhic victory. We wish to preserve the Icon Walk and to do this the Icon Factory needs a permanent home. Otherwise all we have brought to the area will be gone. To find out more or if you think you can help us, please find us at www.iconfactorydublin.com, or on social media (search Icon Factory Dublin). We are looking for potential sites (if required), and also we will have to fundraise to go to court.

We believe that the restrictions currently in place due to the Covid outbreak are not necessary, not based on scientific evidence, are disrespecting human rights and are not proportionate to achieve the objective of limiting the spread of the virus. We are concerned about Birth and Perinatal Trauma and the long term Mental Health issues that these restrictions are causing/will cause.