21/11/2008

Save Jobs, Buy Irish This Christmas

Siptu, Ireland's largest union, has urged people to buy Irish products this Christmas.

The National Executive Council of Siptu called on union members and their families to save Irish jobs by buying local products.

Siptu spokesman Jack O'Connor, said: "We know how hard pressed families will find it to make ends meet in these particularly difficult economic circumstances and they will rightly be looking for value for money.

"Buying Irish this Christmas is in the national interest in a very definite economic sense as well as being patriotic.

"The cost of not doing so is far greater than the short term benefit from any particular price differential."

Mr O'Connor added that the cost in jobs lost would only exacerbate the worsening tax/social welfare burden now being experienced.

"Every Irish job lost as a consequence would, in addition, result in further reductions in consumer expenditure in those same retail outlets," he added

The struggling retail sector has also been exacerbated by a recent fall in tourism, which has seen a 1% drop, with a 17% fall in British visitors and 10% slide from North American tourists.

In a statement released by Fine Gael Tourism Spokesperson, Olivia Mitchell blamed the Governments introduction of a €10 airport tax on all outbound flights for the shortfall.

"Taxing the sector is not the solution but that's all the Government has come up with. An airport departure tax and holiday home tax are more likely to disincentivise tourism further rather than address the downturn that's already happening," she said.

(DW)

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