People Before Profit have strongly criticised a meagre 1% pay offer for public servants from the Finance Minister Conor Murphy.
This offer shows not a single ounce of goodwill, appreciation, or even acknowledgement of the important work completed by public sector workers in an unprecedented time, in a global pandemic.
Despite being told “we are all in it together”, this move has shown clearly that this is not the case. Once again they have been failed by a Stormont Minister.
We hear a lot of the bluster from Sinn Féin about the Tories, yet Conor Murphy has followed the lead of Boris Johnson and his Tory government’s pathetic 1% pay offer for NHS workers.
Moreover, the Finance Minister and the entire Stormont Executive are bereft of any strategy to properly fund public services and pay workers a fair wage.
Conor Murphy should advance the case for a COVID wealth tax, given the stupendous profits generated by the top 1% during the pandemic. This would ensure those who have been punished by the pandemic were protected. Minister Murphy seemingly has no interest in pressing for a redistribution of wealth in our society.
People Before Profit will support all efforts by workers and trade unions to fight for a more substantial pay offer, which they fully deserve. Our solidarity is with public and private sector workers at this time.