Emigration Continues to Rise

We have all got it wrong and we should be thankful for the great opportunities we are now presented with. That's not the view of éirígí but it appears to be the thinking of former Progressive Democrat (PD) Minister Liz O'Donnell.

She was speaking on national radio last week following the release of a report showing a massive increase in the numbers emigrating from our shores once again. According to the document from the British governments Department for Work and Pensions, more than 13,000 people moved from Ireland to Britain in search of work in 2010. This is a massive increase of 25% on the 2009 figure of 11,050. The numbers have been steadily increasing since 2006 when the figure for emigration to Britain was 9,500.

As far as Liz is concerned however, this is just one great adventure for these people to enjoy. She tried to equate it with a student or some other young person taking a year or two out to travel the world and possibly work abroad before they return home to finish college or pursue their career.

But these are not the same things. They are in fact totally different. The stark reality is that the tens of thousands of Irish people who are now leaving our shores and heading for Britain, Europe, Australia, the US and elsewhere are doing so not out of choice. This is not an adventure for them. This is forced emigration from which many of these people will never return.

While the economic collapse and the lack of government action to secure and create employment is the main reason for this exodus, it alone is not the full story. As thousands and thousands of workers started to lose their jobs in recent years, both the previous Fianna Fáil led administration and now the current Fine Gael/Labour coalition have set about introducing measure after measure to try to humiliate them and make life as miserable for them as possible.

And it is no co-incidence that the vast majority of those who emigrated to Britain, more than 6000, were in the 18 – 24 age bracket. While social welfare cuts have been imposed right across the board, this age group has been particularly singled out for harsh treatment.. Under 21's had their dole reduced to €100 a week while those in the 22-24 year old bracket had theirs reduced to €150 a week making it virtually impossible for them to survive on the dole in this country.

So what we seen was young people either losing their jobs or unable to get a job through no fault of their own when they finished their education. As if that was not bad enough, they were then forced to wait up to 16 weeks to receive their pittance of an entitlement, all the time being forced to jump through hoops needlessly. As we previously highlighted (click here) many were refused what they were entitled to and would then possibly have to wait up to twelve months for their appeal against that decision to be heard.

Responding to the emigration figures, éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey said the massive increase  was shameful but comes as no surprise.

He said: “The upsurge in the numbers of people, particularly young people, emigrating from our shores is an indictment of the political classes and their bankrupt capitalist ideology.”

“As unemployment skyrocketed, the previous Fianna Fáil led administration introduced measures which were calculated decisions to make life here unbearable for the jobless. In particular their cuts aimed at 18-24 year olds were undertaken specifically to force these young people to emigrate in order to hide the true extent of unemployment in the twenty six county state. These policies have shamefully now been adopted by the new Fine Gael/Labour coalition despite pre-election promises to protect the most vulnerable.”

Reacting to the recent comments of Liz O'Donnell, Casey described them as “despicable” and said that she is not alone among the political classes in attempting to portray forced emigration in a positive light.

Casey said: “Last year former Tanaiste Mary Coughlan of Fianna Fáil told BBC radio how she thought that emigration 'wasnt a bad thing'. Now this tells us one of two things. Either these politicians have no idea whatsoever about the hardships and deprivation that they have caused and how their decisions have torn families apart – or – they know exactly the misery that they have and are continuing to inflict upon working people and the unemployed. Either way, it is indefensible and unforgivable.”

“Indeed not content with just forcing our young people to emigrate, this state and its agencies also felt it appropriate to act as recruiting agents for the British army. Last April it was revealed that Fás had written to unemployed people in the Limerick region advising them of 'careers' in the British army. Aside from the fact that in doing so they were acting illegally, that they considered it justifiable to recruit young Irish people as cannon fodder to advance British Imperialism around the globe shows their contempt for their own citizens.”

Social Welfare – The Real Fraud

Below is the first in a series of articles relating to social welfare within the twenty six counties. Amongst the specific issues dealt with will be cutbacks, 'fraud' and the broken promises and hypocrisy of the Fine Gael/Labour coalition less than 100 days after taking office

A recurring (and generally unchallenged) theme that emanates from the political and media establishment is the notion of widespread social welfare 'fraud'.

If we were to take at face value the claims of politicians, employers groups, right wing economists, journalists and commentators, the cost to the state is colossal. If we were to believe them, there would have been no need for social welfare cutbacks in the first place if it wasn't for this 'fraud'.

Over the past week as the Social Welfare & Pensions Bill 2011 has been debated in Leinster House, speaker after speaker from the Fine Gael/Labour coalition made reference to this 'fraud'.

Minister for Social Protection Labour's Joan Burton (above)  said that “every euro saved on fraud is money that could be given to legitimate social welfare beneficiaries and to pensioners who need income support.”

While Fine Gael TD Patrick O Donovan was preparing the ground to justify another U-Turn by his party with more social welfare cuts by saying that “if the area of social welfare fraud was adequately tackled it would be possible to leave social welfare rates as they are.”

It is an appalling but clever tactic to avert the gaze of people from the true causes of the economic crisis and the savage cutbacks that are causing so much hardship and poverty. It is a long established deliberate attempt to paint an image in the public mind of every social welfare recipient as being somehow a 'sponger' that doesn't want to work or a downright 'fraudster'. This is then used to justify cutting social welfare rates, pushing people even further into poverty.

The media, as on so many other issues, are willing accomplices in keeping this narrative of 'widespread fraud' circulating while refusing to properly question or analyse the accuracy of the claims being made. But is there the widespread 'fraud' they suggest or is it a different kind of fraud and deception, one directed by the politicians in Leinster House and the Department of Social Protection itself?

For example, a recent article in the Donegal News (June 2) entitled “Over €6 million detected in social welfare fraud” quotes the Department of Social Protection as saying that these 'savings' resulted from anti-fraud measures and reviews carried out by welfare offices and inspectors. Such newspaper articles and tv programmes such as the recent TV3 documentary and the RTE Prime Time programme in the run up to the Budget in 2009 when welfare cuts were to be first introduced are commonplace in highlighting this supposed widespread 'fraud'. 

There are a number of problems with assuming that all this, or even a significant amount of it, is fraud related. What the department, or the media, doesn't tell you is how many of these people will in all likelihood have their payment returned to them following appeal. In other words they don't tell you how many of them have had their payment stopped unfairly in the first place.

They don't tell you how this will impact on people who are already struggling to survive on pitiful social welfare rates. They don't tell you the hoops these people are forced to jump through and the lengthy delays they will endure to eventually get what they were entitled to all along.

Closer analysis of the Departments claims of fraud and fraud detection tell a very different story to the official narrative.

Over the past decade, of those who have had their welfare benefits withdrawn, cut or refused in the first place, every year between 40% and 50% of those who appeal that decision have those decisions overturned in their favour.

In other words, the fraud and deception taking place is that by those in government trying to portray these people as fraudsters when in fact it was the department of social protection defrauding those people entitled to their benefits. In 2003, the numbers of those who appealed that won their cases was 44%. By 2009 the numbers had risen steadily year in year out to 48%.

Successful Social Welfare Appeals 2003 – 2009 (%)

2009 - 48%

2008 - 47%

2007 - 47%

2006 - 46%

2005 - 47%

2004 - 46.5%

2003 - 44%

This is clear evidence of something fundamentally rotten with a system that year after year gets virtually 50% of such potentially life changing decisions wrong. Yet year after year the only 'reforms' we see implemented are those that make it harder for people in need of and entitled to benefits to secure those benefits.

Many of those who initially have their claims refused or cut do not appeal the decisions for a variety of reasons. In many instances people believe that having been refused that they are not entitled to their payment even though in reality they are.

Between 10 and 15% of those who appeal withdraw that appeal before it is heard. Not surprising considering social welfare appeals can take anywhere between six and twelve months to be heard.

For many people, their circumstances will have changed. For many others, it is the final straw. Fed up and in financial difficulties as a result of being unemployed yet being denied their entitlements many have opted for emigration, a situation that the department and the government as a whole wont lose any sleep over.

The reality is that the vast vast majority of people on social welfare would much prefer to have a job despite the best efforts of the political and media classes to suggest otherwise. During last weeks debate a Fine Gael TD Andrew Doyle said that the government needed to “give people an incentive to stop relying on social welfare.”

Fine Gael TD Andrew Doyle

 

The clear implication of that is that people are on welfare either by choice or due to lack of motivation or 'incentive' to find themselves a job. It is part of a pattern by the political and media classes to demonise those forced onto social welfare through no fault of their own, and to justify cutting welfare rates and benefits. It is also complete nonsense as there are no jobs out there for people to be “incentivised” to secure, as more than 460,000 unemployed people can attest to.

The statistics for employment growth and long term unemployment also expose the lies that the unemployed don't want to work or need to be pushed and cajoled into taking up employment. Throughout the 'celtic tiger' era, from the mid-nineties right through to 2007, employment grew annually here in the twenty six counties. At the same time long-term unemployment fell to very low levels and remained at those low levels right up until 2007.

More recently, throughout 2009 and 2010 growth in employment plummeted. As a result long term unemployment has soared to record highs in those years. What it reveals is that when there are jobs for people to take up, they will do so  No amount of 'incentives' or intimidation from the department can make people take up jobs that just do not exist.

High unemployment has nothing nothing to do with people being lazy and not wanting to work. It has to do with a lack of jobs. But should we be surprised at the successive governments and the media promoting this notion of 'laziness' and 'fraud'? Of course not. It suits them to put the blame for unemployment on those unfortunate enough to lose their jobs rather than those who are actually responsible for the job losses and unemployment crisis – the politicians themselves.

Before the recent general election, Fine Gael and Labour promised us all real change from the politics of Fianna Fáil who had held the reigns of power for more than a decade. Less than 100 days into office, it is crystal clear that the Fine Gael/Labour coalition are more than happy to jettison their pre-election promises.

They are proceeding along the same path as that of their predecessors in Fianna Fáil, bowing to their masters in the IMF and ECB, scapegoating and targeting low paid workers and social welfare recipients, while protecting the assets of the wealthy. The agenda remains the same. All that the general election has changed is the names and faces implementing it.

Gallagher Job Losses will Lead to Fresh Wave of Emigration from Donegal

The socialist republican party éirígí has condemned the owners and management at Gallaghers Bakery in Ardara following the announcement of the loss of 124 jobs with the remaining 65 jobs also at risk. Party spokesperson for Tír Chonaill Micheál Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig said the job losses would devestate the economy locally and lead to a fresh wave of emigration from the county.

The job losses come as the parent company Aryzta, which also owns the Cuisine de France brand, have decided to shut down their frozen bread production line at the Ardara bakery and move it to Dublin.

MacGiolla Easbuig said: “These job cuts have been imposed, not to protect the company, but to maximise and increase the profits for the shareholders. It is just the latest in a long line of examples of the greed and callousness with which multi-national companies operate. They amass vast profits created by the labour of their employees, who are then cast aside as expendable commodities once the multi-national decides they can secure a few extra euro's profit for themselves somewhere else.”

He added: “The job losses are a devestating blow to Ardara and the entire south west Donegal region. This is a region that is already reeling as a result of mass unemployment and forced emigration, something we were led to believe was a thing of the past. Workers and their families who are already suffering hardship as a result of the savage cutbacks imposed by Fianna Fáil and the Green party in recent years, are now being thrown on the scrapheap with no opportunities for employment in the region. The end result will be ever lengthening dole queues and a fresh wave of emigration from the county.”

Gallagher's Bakery Ardara

Responding to the manner in which workers were informed of the job losses, MacGiolla Easbuig said: “The contempt with which the owners and management treated their workers is astonishing. Workers were informed by journalists outside the plant as to how their jobs were going to be dealt with. This is disgraceful behaviour and exposes the callousness of the company who care nothing about the impact their decisions will have on the very people who have created their wealth for them.”

He concluded: “ The decision by management not to take questions from the assembled workers and to only talk to them individually is an attempt at the age-old tactic of trying to divide and weaken the workers resolve. It is now essential that the workers, those who have lost their jobs and those whose jobs are under threat, unite and organise to protect their rights and that of their families and wider community. ”

Where are the promised Lisbon jobs Now?

IBEC posters promising jobs during second Lisbon Treaty Referendum Campaign

Do you remember seeing all these posters?  'Yes for Jobs', 'Yes for Jobs and Investment', 'Yes to Recovery' as well as a whole host of other literature bearing a similar message.  Remember all those politicians promising the moon and the stars (and particularly the jobs) in order to con people into voting for a treaty that they had already democratically rejected?

Well that was almost 12 months, so where exactly are all these jobs we were promised if the Lisbon Treaty was ratified?  Recently released figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed that,  contrary to those  promises of economic recovery and job creation,  unemployment levels in this state are at its highest in more than 16 years.  The numbers on the live register in July reached more than 466,000, an increase of 14,000 on June of this year and more than 34,000 higher than July of 2009.

The state wide figures are replicated here in the north west also.  There were 22,832 people on the Live Register in Donegal at the end of July, up 1,981 on the same period last year, a rise of 9.5%.  However, the jobless figure for Ballyshannon rose by a massive 15%, with Dungloe increasing by 13% and Letterkenny by 12%.  And in the latest blow to Donegal's unemployment problems, it was announced last week that the Keith Prowse call centre in Lisfannon, Buncrana, Co Donegal is set to close with the loss of up to 100 jobs.

In County Sligo, the unemployed numbers have risen by 166 from June and almost 500 from July 2009 to now stand at 5932.   In Leitrim those signing on has increased by 163 to total 3900, while County Roscommon's total is now 4,306 following yet another increase of 216 from last month and up 425 on July of last year.  County Mayo also seen an increase in those signing on with an extra 450 people joining the live register in July bringing the total to 13,965, and increase of more than 1200 on this time last year.

Despite the continued job losses and the fact that Fianna Fáil led administrations have succeeded in increasing unemployment levels from just 4.3% in July 2005 to the current level of 13.7% and rising in July 2010, Fianna Fáil Ministers have defended and attempted to justify the rising unemployment figures and their abject failure to save and create jobs.

According to Batt O'Keefe, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Fianna Fáil policies "are helping Ireland to emerge from recession and to avoid another period of protracted recession."

"We will persist with our policies" he said "to help unemployed workers to get back into the labour force and create conditions conducive to job creation".

Billboard in Donegal (December 2009)

Reacting to the latest unemployment figures and Fianna Fáil's response to them, éirígi activist Gerry Casey accused the government of "gross incompetence and mismanagement  of the economy".  He also claimed that the true figures for people losing their jobs is far higher than the figures suggest.

Casey said:  "At the time of the second Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign last year, Fianna Fáil backed up by the supposed opposition parties, Labour and Fine Gael as well as the representatives of big business such as IBEC and the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, promised us all that a vote for the Lisbon Treaty would secure jobs for Ireland.  As éirígí pointed out during the campaign, that was a blatant lie.  The continued loss of jobs around the state and the latest unemployment figures which now stands at a 16 year high of 466,000, exposes that lie clearly for all to see."

He added:  "However bad people may think those figures are, the reality is that the numbers losing their jobs is actually far higher.  What the figures don't show are those who are unemployed and have been forced to emigrate once more, egged on by a government happy to push them onto a boat or plane and get them off the live register.  Shamefully, forced emigration, a thing the Irish people thought was a thing of the past, has re-emerged with a vengeance as a direct result of this governments policies.  The statistics also hide those who are now on state schemes or remained in education due to a lack of employment."

"Fianna Fáil and the Greens have failed  miserably in tacking the jobs crisis and creating sustainable employment.  Their policy in terms of reducing the numbers of unemployed has been to cynically squeeze our young people who find themselves out of work to such a degree that they are forced to emigrate."

"On top of losing their jobs, young people had their dole reduced to €100 a week and €150 a week for under 21's and 22-24 year olds respectively, making it virtually impossible for them to survive on the dole in their own country.  Even at that, people signing on to receive this pittance are been forced to wait for as long as 16 weeks before being paid.  These measures were deliberately introduced by a callous government in order to make life unbearable for young unemployed people in the hope they would choose the option of emigration thus helping to hide the true extent of unemployment.”

FIanna Fáil, Fine Gael & Labour Unite in False Jobs Promises during Lisbon Treaty Referendum Campaign

"This administration, aided by the 'opposition' and big business, lied to the Irish people when they told us that ratifying the Lisbon Treaty would mean job creation and an end to the recession.  The 'opposition' who would offer themselves as an alternative deliberately lied to the Irish people also.  These parties, along with the neo-liberal capitalist system they strive to maintain, all share responsibility for the current economic crisis and the savage attacks being waged against working people and those less well off in society." 

Casey concluded:  "The solution to our social and economic problems is not replacing Tweedledum (Fianna Fáil/Greens) with Tweedledee (Fine Gael/Labour).  The solution lies in dismantling their rotten corrupt  capitalist system that continues to heap misery and hardship on working class communities and to replace it with an alternative Ireland based on public ownership and a decent standard of living and working conditions for all."