Public services will collapse if the Government goes ahead with plans to reduce exchequer spending by €4 billion in the forthcoming budget, the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) David Begg has said.
Addressing Siptu’s biennial conference in Tralee, Co Kerry today, Mr Begg said there were no circumstances in which this level of cutbacks could be achieved without having catastrophic effects on the civilised standards of society.
Mr Begg again urged the Government to tackle the problems in the public finances over a longer period of time.
He said that French president Nicholas Sarkozy had unilaterally extended the timeframe for his government dealing with its financial difficulties.
“You cannot crucify people by forcing this adjustment in such a short period of time” he said.
He also said that people would have to get something in return for sacrifices made in the current economic difficulties.
He said a social dividend was needed covering pensions, progressive taxation and above all jobs.
Mr Begg said he failed to understand why the Revenue Commissioners had not gone after €1.8 billion due in uncollected taxes. "You can’t go after ordinary people unless you are collecting what is legally due to the State," he said.