Dublin Home Help Home Care Workers Protest at Government Buildings today

Richard Boyd Barrett congratulates disability protestors for forcing government to back down

Home Help Home Care workers from across Dublin took part in a  protest at Government Buildings this evening. At a meeting in Donneycarney in Dublin yesterday evening, Home Help and Home Care workers voted to protest against the Government’s plans to cut home help services and home care packages.

There has already been 500,000 hour reduction this year and the announcement last week by the HSE that a further 600,000 hours will be slashed from the home help services will have a devastating affect on home care services

The Carer’s Association estimate that if family carers stopped providing care in the morning, the cost to the state to replace this work would be almost €4 billion per annum yet it just pays about € 540 million through Carers Allowances.

Richard Boyd Barrett said in a statement, “The protests over the last two days against the cuts to Independent living supports and the Governments turnaround are indicative of a growing mood of anger against unfair and unjust cuts. The Government should now back down on all plans to cut home care services for the disabled and elderly”

Article source: http://richardboydbarrett.ie/2012/09/05/government-should-now-back-down-on-all-cuts-to-disability-and-elderly-home-care-services/