Irish non-governmental organisation Social Justice Ireland has welcomed a call by an International Monetary Fund/European Central Bank/European Commission "Troika" representative to protect vulnerable people in Irish society.
The comments were made by European Commission mission head Istvan Szekely at a press conference for the latest update on Ireland's progress under its bail-out programme. He said that the Troika wanted to hear of problems in the programme that were impacting on the unemployed and most vulnerable in society, whom he said needed to be protected.
Social Justice has called on the Troika "to include these commitments on protecting the vulnerable and on prioritising unemployment within the text of the Memorandum of Understanding." The organisation prepared and presented a briefing to the IMF/ECB/EC Troika in October 2011.
Bulletin readers may recall in September 2011 that Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg cautioned the Irish government that budget cuts would place human rights at risk. Concern about the effect of austerity measures on human rights (and accordingly vulnerable groups) in Greece was also expressed last year. In July, the United Nations Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Cephas Lumina, warned about the impact of further austerity measures and structural reforms to solve Greece's debt crisis on basic social services and human rights.
In a recent letter to the editor of the Irish Times, a large number of Irish civic society representatives urged the government to implement a "Plan B" - one that will encourage growth and raise incomes and reduce poverty.