Motion no: 2
Conference notes that, at the time of writing, no new Executive has been formed following the Assembly elections held in May and that Ministers currently in place will cease to hold office if no new Executive is formed by the end of October, with the Secretary of State obliged to call a further election.
Conference is increasingly concerned by the impact that the cost-of-living crisis is having on workers, particularly the lowest paid, their families and their communities. Conference agrees that we need to see the institutions at Stormont restored to address the cost-of-living crisis.
Conference acknowledges the efforts of our activists and members in supporting the NIC-ICTU demonstration at Stormont on June 25th calling for the return of the Executive to address the cost-of-living crisis. Conference endorses the ongoing NIC-ICTU campaign demanding action be taken to address the crisis for workers across both the public and private sectors, their families and their communities. Conference believes that NIC-ICTU has a vital role to play in building and leading the campaign across civic society for urgently needed measures to address the crisis, highlighting the serious consequences for the social and economic wellbeing of the public if such measures are not taken.
Conference agrees that the campaign to address the cost-of-living crisis must support both structural interventions to improve collective bargaining coverage, eliminate precarious work, fully implement the real Living Wage, provide affordable, accessible childcare for all and introduce universal, free school meals; and immediate interventions to address the huge pressures people face in relation to the cost of energy, fuel and food, including through supporting much needed interventions for those who rely on the welfare and social security systems.
Conference believes that the campaign should at all stages challenge any narrative that increasing pay to meet inflation and the cost of living crisis will lead to a ‘wages—price spiral’.
Conference further agrees that the campaign to address the cost-ofliving crisis must include engagement with the Secretary of State and UK Government, Shadow Secretary of State and Labour party, NI Affairs Committee and the UK Treasury to ensure that the necessary resources required to address the cost-of-living crisis in Northern Ireland are made available by Westminster.
Conference therefore calls on the Northern Ireland Committee:
• If devolved government has not yet been restored, to continue to campaign for the restoration of the devolved institutions at Stormont so that they can address the cost of living crisis;
• If devolved government has been restored, to intensively campaign for the immediate interventions needed to address the pressures people are facing in relation to the cost of energy, fuel and food, which should include supporting calls to pause social security debt, reinstate the uplift in Universal Credit and extend it to all legacy benefits, the removal of the two-child limit and a one-off payment to those entitled to disability benefits or carer’s allowance.
• To demand that government enters into real social dialogue as a priority with the trade union movement on the structural measures required on collective bargaining (through implementing legislation similar to what has been agreed at EU level), the real Living Wage, precarious work, childcare and universal free school meals that are needed to protect workers and their families moving into the future.
