Cllr. Ted Tynan (Cork)
Cork Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has accused the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) of becoming the leading cheerleader of a low wage economy following the ESRI’s latest report which, according to Cllr. Tynan, seeks to justify the exploitation of workers.
Cllr. Tynan said that the report, which suggests that workers on the Minimum Wage are not at risk of poverty, is out of touch with reality and clearly comes from the perspective of people who have never experienced poverty.
He said, “Once again the ESRI has come out fighting for the employers justifying their resistance to decent wages for workers. The report suggests that low pay is acceptable because many on low pay live in households where another person is working. At best this is a red herring and at worst it justifies the exploitation of workers especially women workers who represent the great majority of those on the Minimum Wage”.
Cllr. Tynan said that while the ESRI had produced some useful research in the past, more recently it had become chief advocate of right-wing policies in the area of wages, working conditions and privatisation. “The ESRI has become the best friend of stingy employers and those who would have Ireland’s economy built on the ideology of Donald Trump”, he said.
The Workers’ Party councillor said that while the ESRI is an independent body it is heavily dependent on state contracts and has become vastly influential compared with other more socially concerned think-tanks like Tasc or the Nevin Institute.