Press Release

Rise in Cork Jobless Figures Mean its Time to Act

Reacting to today’s figures showing a further increase in the numbers of those on the live register in Cork City, Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan O’Brien has hit out at the Government’s failure to invest in people and create jobs, while pumping billions of euro into Anglo-Irish Bank.

Cllr O’Brien stated: “Today’s figures show a further increase in the number of those unemployed in Cork City, which now stands at 19,810.”

“Of particular concern is the number of young people under 25 who are claiming the dole – which now stands at 3,827.”

“These young people represent the future of our country and our economy, but the government’s only response to the crisis of youth unemployment is to cut welfare payments to young people.”

“The skills and abilities of thousands of our young, educated and highly trained work force, which should be at the centre of efforts to rebuild the economy, are being wasted, because the Government refuses to get serious about job creation.”

“The Government were happy to drop €2 billion of taxpayer’s money into Anglo Irish Bank last week, but to get them to create jobs and stimulate the economy is akin to drawing blood from a stone.”

“Yesterday Sinn Féin delivered more than 16,000 ‘Greetings from the dole’ postcards demanding action to create jobs to Government Buildings – many of them collected by party activists here in Cork.”

“As part of Sinn Féin’s ‘Jobs for the Unemployed’ I, along with other Sinn Fein activists, talked to hundreds of unemployed people on the streets of Cork. They all want the same thing. They want the government to focus on the jobs crisis and to start implementing the type of proposals put forward by Sinn Féin to stimulate the economy and create jobs. They are growing increasingly angry that the government is doing nothing.”

“It is time for the government to listen, and to act.”

For further information contact Cllr Jonathan O’Brien