Manufacturing operators want lower government-induced burdens to survive

Manufacturing operators are facing challenges of survival, the Chamber of Commerce said as it called for government-induced burdens to be reduced.

Employers have been burdened with an extra day of leave and high utility costs remain an issue, the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said.

Workers will get an additional day of leave next year as part of government’s electoral pledge. 

The Chamber said that in more than half of OECD countries the burden on employers to finance paid sick leave had been lowered and most governments financed paid sick leave in case of quarantine.

“It is therefore not surprising that manufacturing operators are finding it extremely hard to reconcile the fact that their output is falling significantly while their wage bill remains almost the same,” the organisation said.

While expressing “deep concern”, the Chamber welcomed government’s announcement of a €470 million investment in industrial infrastructure.

“The manufacturing sector remains a fundamental pillar of the country’s economic stability, and requires all the support it can be afforded, especially in a rapidly shifting economic landscape worldwide, if we want to guarantee its future competitiveness,” the Chamber said.