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THE GOVERNMENT HAS introduced a raft of changes to social welfare payments as part of this year’s Budget – with the cut to the child benefit rate, in particular, causing some consternation this evening.
Families will lose a Child Benefit payment €10 a month for the first and second child, €18 a month for the third child, and €20 a month for fourth and subsequent children - a measure that Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said would save €136 million annually.
The Back to School and Footwear Allowance will be reduced by €50 to €100 for children aged between 4 and 11, and from €250 to €200 to children aged between 12 and 17 (or aged 18 to 22 and in full-time education).
Changes have been applied to Farm Assist income support: the rate of assessment of means from self-employment, including farming, is being raised from 85 per cent to 100 per cent, while the deductions from income in respect of children are being discontinued. The payments are currently €127 per year for each of the first two dependent children and €190.50 per year for each subsequent child.
The duration of Jobseekers’ Benefit will be reduced from 12 months to nine months for recipients with 260 or more contributions paid, or
nine months to six months for recipients with less than 260 contributions paid.
The employer rebate element of the statutory Redundancy Payments Scheme (currently 15 per cent) will be discontinued, and expenditure of the Supplementary Welfare Allowances reduced.
The €300 Cost of Education Allowance payable to Back to Education Allowance participants will be discontinued for both new and existing participants, as the weekly rate payable on the scheme is to be equalised with that payable on the qualifying social protection payment. A standard maximum rate of €160 per week will apply to qualifying Jobseeker’s Allowance participants in receipt of age-related reduced rate payments.
The Respite Care Grant will be reduce by €325, from €1,700 to €1,375 per annum.
Changes will be introduced to the electricity/gas element of the Household Benefits Package, and a reduction will also be applied to the the value of the Telephone Allowance for new and existing participants.
Meanwhile, additional fraud and control measures will be put in place to tackle cases of fraud and overpayment, along with the introduction of legislation to ensure the greater recovery of social welfare overpayments.
Increased funding will be provided for activation programmes and school meal provisions, and €14 million will be allocated to the creation of extra after-school childcare places for social welfare clients returning to work. An extra €17.4 million in funding is being allocated in 2013 to build new facilities at the Oberstown children’s detention centre.
Overall, spending in the area of social welfare has been increased by €150 million. No primary weekly payment of social welfare being changed (ie pensions, disability payments, jobseekers’ allowances and benefits).
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Luas drivers are off their head! Let them strike, I’ve seen zero support for them. Looking for an almost €20k pay rise on their already questionable wage. Laughable.
Just sack them, take the trams off for a few weeks, retrain new drivers and let them off. Dublin survived without trams for 40+ years, it can easily go a few weeks. This is driven by greed and nothing else. They have good wages, good working conditions and a relatively easy job. Time to stop all this nonsense once and for all when workers don’t have legitimate gripes.
I think you will find the pay claim is stretching into the future no one is looking for 20k today. And from What I read as opposed to know for definite the pay is crap at the moment.
And you know this for a fact or is it the company press release. Is their no greedy employer?
Was listening to Matt Cooper yesterday, the starting wage for a year one luas driver is 36K, wouldn’t say that’s a crap wage. They are looking for in and around 50% pay raise for an already good wage!
Ah Irish begrugery while we are at it lets drop the min wage to €0.10 an hour!
Michael, these guys are on very good wages already without a 50% raise. Because of their greed thousands of people are currently being affected, climb down off that high horse of yours.
How do you know it’s a good wage and with their training and all. Yes strikes are designed to affect (it that purpose). How about the luas management upstairs? Ps I’m loving the view from my horse !!
@Michael, not everything is about begrugery. Why should a luas driver start on more than a Garda for goodness sake? Not every job deserves a high salary.
Why don’t the gardai go on strike (blue flu) because they have dangerous profession. See a luas driver have responsibly for passengers and the general public (life or death) now that is a burden which is heavy hence pay them more.
I’m with the workers. The same people who are apoplectic with outrage at the very notion of tram drivers earning €60k hardly bat an eyelid when senior bank executives earn 10, 20 or 100 times that figure.
The bankers produce nothing of value and their financial institutions are parasitic on the real economy and the workers. The Luas drivers provide a valuable service bring tens of thousands into and out of the city every day.
The bankers’ huge wealth is hoarded and the vast majority of it will never circulate in the domestic economy. In contrast, the drivers will spend most or all of their €60 (less tax) into the local economy which pays other worker’s wages and supports other families as the macro economy is circular.
Solidarity with the drivers and all workers struggling to obtain a greater share of the wealth which we create. The great and largely unspoken divide in society is the one between capital and labour and the vast majority of us are on the labour side though many don’t seem to understand this.
32k I think was figure rising to 42l over 10 years alan
but not for nurses,cops, and teachers Michael
Wally Mooney, you have said it yesterday, you work as a Luas driver, it is written, you can’t delete it. Stop playing like you’re some concerned citizen supporting the working class in their struggle against greedy corporations. You are writing in every single post about this subject because you want that pay rise for you. The Luas is currently at loss and you want a 54% pay rise by sitting your arse pulling a leaver, there is no physical work or intellectual work involved. You can be replaced tomorrow by a machine.
If you want €60K by sitting your arse all day, then a cleaner should get €80K per year because they work much harder and have to you more brains than you.
Ha ha. Anyone would take a 52% pay increase over 3 years. Their pay would be on the same level as a pharmacist after doing a degree in Trinity College. Now do the Maths. Train drivers in Greece are on €90-€120,000. It’s a disgrace this strike. No public support. We are in a recession. Who will have to pick up the tab for these greedy workers.
Remember that as the Luas runs past Tallaght hospital or through St James’s, SIPU feels that the drivers should be paid more than most the junior doctors and staff nurses in the hospitals. Apparently it’s to reflect the difficulty and seriousness of the drivers job……who would have thought!
Where do I apply for a job, I’d happily take that wage
When transdev rightfully lose the contract for not managing a well paid workforce, you will have the opportunity to apply for one of these cushy jobs. The new company won’t be offering 36K starting salary but you will get to sit on your ass all day.
Why would someone take up a job and agree to the salary in the first place if they weren’t happy with it? Bit late to start cribbing later.
I know a coach driver who was robbed at knife point the other evening who is on 25k a year. I’m sure he would happily take a 35k a year Luas driving job especially as they are separate from the passengers and don’t carry money.
So why doesn’t ha apply?
After reading the comments on this the LUAS people have no support from the general public !
I support them….
Why?
I support them too!!!
The journal.ie ain’t the general public. I have yet to read one article who’s comments are any way positive in any respect. I think you’ll find that of u look most places online you’ll find negative comments cos folks rarely write stuff to be positive. The biggest problem with the tripe being posted here is that most of it is from people with opinions which have no basis in fact. One of the first comments I read about this strike was that the PRIVATE company who runs the luas were doing a great job without even getting subsidies like the public transport companies. Total fantasy, luas is subsidised only difference is with luas we’re subsidising a private companies profits. At the end of the day it simple begrudgery why shouldn’t someone aspire to a good wage, remember if a luas drive crashed he’s going to court cos he’s responsible for the x amount of people on his team. Why shouldn’t all workers have good job security or good pensions? These are things we should aspire too for everyone not begrudge. I really do despair of the morons on here, its a good app for news but the idiots that comment make it not worth having. And in good journal style the idiots will now slag me off and point out some grammatical error.
Fran, if those people want to aspire to a good wage that’s fantastic. They should also aspire to work in a job that pays them the wage they dream of. They’re not being paid badly now for the level of skill their job requires. If they want to be paid better let them go back to college to retrain and work their way towards a better paying job.
Took the 145 yesterday from hueston and very efficient. Lots of busses on and very smooth in getting people on and off. 2 euro well spent. Well done Dublin bus.
Didn’t help when the 44 never turned up last night. While the Luas is needed bus drivers who arguably have a harder job don’t earn as much. I’m sorry but this is the first time in a long time I’ve been against a strike taking place.
Wages for Luas driver starts at 36K, and their seeking 50% pay increase. Bit rich
Did people forget how to walk all of a sudden?
Yeah I was half expecting the journal to give a step by step instruction on how to walk there after the “for shorter journeys… Try walking” thanks for that, Wouldn’t of had a clue what to do. Thanks for the tip!
No bother anything else I can help you with?
How much they on at the moment
Starting wage for a year one luas driver is 36K, not bad at all.
No pay rise since 2011, not even cost of living! Offered increase in line with CPI which is 0% over next 5 years. I wonder why they’re striking!!!? Also this 53% increase is over a long term period depending on service not instantaneous!! But sure why would these facts take away from a dramatic news story????
Idiot! If things are as bad as they are making out let them go and find the other unskilled jobs which pay better money! This is an absolute farce!
Dont forget the 12 extra days off per year that luas drivers negotiated some years back. Dont forgat an annual bonus Dont forget it overpaid for the role to start with Not having pay rise since 2011 isnt unique and theres economic reasons for that.
Clearly a Luas driver.
I’m not a luas driver I just think they should get some sort of annual pay rise, at least on par with cost of living increase. Luas fares have gone up and transdev just keep all money for themselves at the expense on drivers.
Do they not get annual increments on top of a guaranteed bonus?
The transdev CEO was on Matt Cooper yesterday and said it wasn’t true they were only offering increases in line with CPI. He said they would negotiate any sensible wage increase request.
And the long term service is 9 years, it’s not exactly 20 years in the job before you reach the top of the pay scale like many other jobs.
Anto The do get cpi
Tip for coming in from tallaght. Get the 27 not the 77a. Got the 27 this morning and was half an hour quicker then the 77a
Did people take these days off work? I’ve noticed traffic actually being a hell of a lot lighter Thursday and Friday morning.
Yes, traffic heavier but flowing a lot better yesterday and today. Luas junctions obviously
I wish I wish I was a taxi man€€€€€€€€€€
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