The HSE’s recruitment freeze is a sign of further austerity on the horizon from Fine Gael, as the global economy stalls. That’s according to Workers’ Party city councillor and Euro candidate Éilis Ryan.

Ryan said:

“There is an obvious hypocrisy in Fine Gael committing to solving understaffing on the one hand, and imposing a recruitment freeze to cut costs on the other end.

“In true neoliberal fashion, Fine Gael appears to blame understaffing not on lack of staff, but on there being too many sick people.”

She continued:

“But the return of recruitment freezes to political speak is a sign of bigger dangers on the horizon. For some time it has been clear that the global economy is beginning to falter.

“A number of market analysts predict a global downturn this year. And since Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil have been content to rebuild exactly those parts of the Irish economy that exposed us so deeply to the last global recession,  

The Euro candidate concluded:

“The appalling truth is that while workers in Ireland continue to be impacted – through a housing crisis and depressed wages – by the last recession, another is on the horizon.

“We can expect many more announcements of cuts, recruitment freezes and austerity from this government.”