HE Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed has rejected the new national agreement - Partnership 2000 - because it "falls far short", of its demands relating to minimum - rates of social welfare. The agreement is due to be published on Monday.
Also yesterday, the Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, has told the Dail that, due to the new agreement, spending next year will exceed the cap of £13.014 billion announced earlier this month. The public pay deal will add £24 million to this figure, while extra measures relating to "social inclusion" will add a further amount.
The INOU and other bodies have been pushing for more to be spent on the social inclusion element of the package. However, some of these groups may not now give the document their backing. INOU general secretary Mr Mike Allen said it would not be recommending the deal to its members.
The organisation wants the Government to include income adequacy in the programme, covering minimum rates of social welfare. Mr Allen said the Government had indicated yesterday that income adequacy would not be achieved in the lifetime of the new programme.
It was also pointed out, he said, that increases in the number of employment schemes would be subject to the availability of resources over the coming years.
"The INOU strongly rejects this position and has asked officials to immediately contact the Government calling for a reconsideration of the offer," said Mr Allen.
Government sources indicated last night that, while Partnership 2000 had been discussed at yesterday's Cabinet meeting, no statement had been expected afterwards.
After the meeting yesterday evening with Government officials, the INOU national executive committee met to discuss the matter. "The NEC has made it clear that, unless income adequacy is included as part of the new deal, it will recommend rejection. On the other hand, if the Government reconsiders its position, the NEC will make a decision on recommendation during its January meeting."
Mr Allen said that, since entering negotiations, the INOU has argued for the minimum rates of welfare as recommended by the 1986 Commission on Social Welfare. "The ESRI report published yesterday show that, by any measure of poverty someone living on less that £68 per week is surviving below the poverty line. The INOU will not be able to sign an agreement which accepts this," said Mr Allen.
The INOU has been included along with seven other community organisations in the "second strand" of the negotiations for the new agreement, which gives them a voice but not a veto on the agreement.
Meanwhile, Mr Quinn told the Dail yesterday that the public pay deal and the social inclusion package would add to the spending figure announced for 1997 with the Estimates earlier this month. Already £80 million has been set aside to increase welfare payments in the Budget.