Back to: Home >

Community Platform challenge to the Government and 'recognised' social partners

Four tests for a new Partnership Agreement

The 28 Community Platform organisations, committed to fighting poverty and inequality have agreed that the next agreement must be judged on four key tests:

Will it deliver on the Government's long-standing promise to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality?
Will it advance the right to decent and appropriate employment, services and supports for all people and communities?
Have existing Government targets for reducing poverty and inequality, including those in previous partnership agreements, been met or are there clear steps to meeting these laid out in the new agreement?
Will it advance democracy, meaningful participation and access to rights, especially for the most marginalised?

Some key initiatives identified by the Community Platform that would ensure a new social partnership agreement passes these tests are outlined in this document. The proposals listed are not exhaustive but set out an approach that would make the next social partnership agreement relevant and meaningful to disadvantaged communities in Ireland.

The Community Platform

is a network of 28 national organisations working to address poverty, social exclusion and inequality. Organisations currently in the Community Platform are: Age Action Ireland, Community Action Network, Community Workers Co-operative, Cairde, European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland, Forum of People with Disabilities, Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, Irish Association of Older People, Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, Irish Penal Reform Trust, Irish Refugee Council, Irish Rural Link, Irish Traveller Movement, Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, National Adult Literacy Agency, National Network of Women's Refuges and Support Services, National Traveller Women's Forum, National Women's Council of Ireland, Older Women's Network, One Parent Exchange Network, Pavee Point, Rape Crisis Network Ireland, Simon communities of Ireland, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Threshold, Voluntary Drug Treatment Network, Vincentian Partnership for Justice, Women's Aid. There are also a number of other national anti-poverty organisations in the process of joining the Community Platform.

The Community Platform made a collective decision to not endorse the 'Sustaining Progress' agreement. This was done on the basis that 'Sustaining Progress' offered nothing that was additional to existing policy commitments to address the ongoing problems faced by our members and the groups we represent who experience poverty, social exclusion and inequality. The Community Platform also felt that government did not seriously engage with proposals put forward by our members. Nonetheless the Community Platform made clear its ongoing commitment to social partnership as a means of working with the government and other sectors of society.

Since then Government has excluded organisations who did not sign the agreement, including Community Platform members, from participating in many key partnership and consultative fora. This means that decisions about important areas of social and economic policy are taken without effective involvement of the organisations representing the interests of groups facing discrimination and poverty, such as Travellers, lone parents, migrants, and even women.

The Community Platform tests for a new Partnership Agreement

1. Will it deliver on the Government's long-standing promise to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality?

Ireland is the second richest country in the EU, with the fastest-growing economy, but the highest level of 'relative' poverty. The country can afford to live up to the commitment made by an Taoiseach in 2000, with his EU colleagues, to 'make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty by 2010'.

Ireland has been criticized internationally for the depth of discrimination and inequality against women and against minority ethnic groups including Travellers. Recent events also raise concern about increased discrimination and racism against migrant workers.

A new agreement must signal:

A new target to reduce poverty: Any new agreement, and the new National Action Plan Against Poverty (NAPs Inclusion) to which it will be linked, must address data deficits and must include serious and real policies, targets, timeframes and resources to meet the commitment made by an Taoiseach with his EU colleagues in 2000..

A new target for minimum income, at 30% of Gross Average Industrial Earnings, along with a substantial increase in the minimum wage, and state pensions to be 40% of GAIE.

Action to promote gender equality, including:
Establishment of a Gender Mainstreaming Monitoring Committee to monitor the implementation of the National Women's Strategy with high level inter-departmental personnel, social partners, relevant women's NGOs and designated experts to oversee delivery of the NWS strategy within a 3 year time frame. This will require clear budget lines for this developed by each Department.
The six Government departments with responsibility to respond to the issue of violence against women, should develop a funding framework (through the National Steering Committee) for the administration of funds to respond to the issue. An immediate increase in current spending on dedicated frontline responses of €7 million is required.
Investment in a publicly funded quality childcare system for all children in Ireland based on the development of the Equal Opportunity Childcare Programme.

Systematic action to address discrimination including:
Establishment of an independent statutory Traveller Agency to monitor, coordinate and where appropriate, enforce the implementation of existing Government policy on Travellers and support the development of new policy.
Ending the exclusion of asylum seekers from the current child benefit structure.
Provision of resources to initiate anti-racism strategies in line with the National Action Plan Against Racism.
Resourcing and implementing the community development commitments of the National Action Plan Against Racism.
Direct monitoring of Sectoral Plans supporting Disability legislation by the Department of the Taoiseach with effective consultation facilitated directly between disabled people and relevant Departments in the design and delivery of these plans.
The advocacy and support needs of disabled people, older people, those seeking asylum and others who live in closed spaces (residential homes, nursing homes and other institutions) should be provided for, with transparent mechanisms that enforce standards consistent with protecting peoples' human rights.

2. Will it advance the right to decent and appropriate employment, services and supports for all people and communities?

Any new agreement must provide clear policies, targets, timeframes and resources to put in place the income, supports and services to live life in dignity in urban and rural areas of Ireland.

This must include:

Work/employment
To achieve NAPS and Sustaining Progress target of eliminating long-term unemployment (also see 'Delivering promises')
To eliminate existing barriers that prevent people from taking-up work, education or training opportunities including existing barriers to employment caused by low cut-off rates for secondary benefits.
Implement existing regional development policies in particular within the National Spatial Strategy.
Establish a task force to examine the employment needs in the Border Midlands Region
Asylum seekers to be granted the right to work if they have been in the country for over six months.
A three year community based pilot initiative providing Community Advocacy Support for migrant workers at risk of exploitation.
Ensuring access to FAS employment services for all migrant workers.
Review the rationale for the Habitual Residence Condition for migrant workers

Housing/accommodation
Development of a client centred housing/accommodation needs assessment for people who are homeless, including non-housing needs as appropriate, which acts as a route into local authority, private rented and voluntary housing.
Adopt the thrust of NESC's recommendation that social housing stock should contain 73,000 more units by 2012, and commit to at least 10,000 new units annually.
Proactively protect tenants in private rental housing, many of whom have low incomes, by developing a certification regime whereby only accommodation that is 'fit for the purpose' (i.e., of good quality standard and fire safety compliant) can be let.
Implement programmes that enable people to pursue employment opportunities without compromising their ability to afford adequate housing.
The establishment of a Traveller Accommodation Agency, inclusive of Travellers and independent of local and central government with responsibility and requisite powers to oversee the delivery of high quality, culturally appropriate Traveller accommodation, including facilities recognising Travellers nomadic of life.
Increase the weekly 'direct provision' supplementary welfare allowance to Asylum Seekers, but ultimately should phase out the system.
The Review of Part M of the Building Regulations addressing access needs of disabled people needs to have structures and resources in place which ensure the built environment and housing allocation addresses the reality of lifetime needs (taking account of an aging demographic)

Health
Conduct an economic health audit (such as that carried out in the UK by Wanless) of the health service to address health inequalities and ensure more efficient use of resources by keeping people healthy.
The fully resourced implementation of the Primary Care Strategy, including resources to ensure community sector participation in rolling out the implementation of the Strategy.
Provide local community based accessible health and social care for older people with the emphasis on early intervention with systemic approach to provision of both formal and informal care providing for standardised remuneration, training and career path for home helps, care assistants and family carers.
An increase in the availability of medical cards at a level above the minimum wage.

Education
Implement the recommendations of the Education Disadvantage Committee Reports, in particular the final report to Minister Hanafin December 2005.
Publication and implementation of the National Traveller's Education Strategy.
Paid educational leave entitlement for all workers with less than a Junior Certificate or equivalent level qualification wishing to improve their literacy and numeracy.
Adoption of the National Adult Literacy and Numeracy Implementation Plan, enabling an increase to 10% participation of the target group.
Ensure resources are in place to provide effective support for children with specific support needs (disability language cultural supports).
Implementation of government strategies to tackle sub standard national schools within a two year period.
Double the number of support teachers for pupils with greater learning needs. And ensure that there is at least one teacher available to every school

Access to financial services
A pilot initiative (possibly in a number of CLAR and RAPID areas) should be undertaken to offer a basic banking service to unbanked segments of the population.
Commitment to ensure that post offices are retained in CLAR and RAPID areas.

3. Have existing Government targets for reducing poverty and inequality, including those in previous partnership agreements, been met or are there clear steps to meeting these laid out in the new agreement?

Community Platform organisations are particularly concerned about failure to met targets in the current Sustaining Progress agreement which affect the lives of people facing poverty and discrimination. Such targets include:

Sustaining Progress and NAPs lowest social welfare payments target of €150 in 2007 at 2002 terms (likely to be met).
Sustaining Progress and NAPs target of Eliminating Long-term unemployment by 2007: (unlikely to be met).
Sustaining Progress Pensions target of €200 by 2007 (likely to be met).
Sustaining Progress and NAPs target to reduce (consistent) poverty to 2%, or to eliminate it completely by 2007 (unlikely to be met) and the EU 2000 Lisbon Strategy target to 'make a decisive impact on the eradication of (relative) poverty by 2010 (could be met with substantial policy changes).
NAPS and NAPSIncl target to end rough sleeping by end 2004.

Will it advance democracy, meaningful participation and access to rights, especially for the most marginalised?

A core role of social partnership, whether nationally or locally must be to enhance democracy and governance. Key to this must be the meaningful participation of all relevant voices, particularly those of the most marginalised in society. The European Commission White Paper on Governance (2001) states that: 'The quality, relevance and effectiveness of EU policies depend on ensuring wide participation throughout the policy chain â€“ from conception to implementation. Improved participation is likely to create more confidence in the end result and in the Institutions which deliver policies. Participation crucially depends on central governments following an inclusive approach when developing and implementing EU policies'. Irish social partnership is cited as an example of best practice across Europe.

On this basis a new social partnership agreement must, as a priority, ensure that marginalised communities have their voices heard in all social partnership processes. Any new agreement must be based on:

Transparency: it must be easier for civil society, public debate to have a voice and influence in policy-making. This means making Partnership processes less secretive, opening them up to political scrutiny and involving organisations in partnership processes on the basis of their relevance, expertise and track record and not on whether they agree with Government policy.
Inclusiveness: The new agreement must increase the space for organisations representing and working with people facing discrimination and poverty to influence the formation and delivery of policies which affect their lives. Participation by any group or organisation on relevant policy making for a must be based on the relevance of that group or organisation to the issue in hand, their track record and on who they represent. It should not be based on whether that organisation agrees or not with current government policy.
Further, a new agreement must commit to the strengthening of key principles such as laid out in the White Paper 'Supporting Voluntary Activity' on the role and independence of the community sector in building democracy.

Back to: Home >