The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has described the measures announced in Budget 2025 as fiscally irresponsible.
ICTU said the Government is using potentially transitory corporation tax receipts to fuel a pre-election giveaway that will push higher taxes onto younger and future workers.
ICTU welcomed the 80c increase in the minimum wage but added that the Government must stick to its commitment to raise the minimum wage to 60 per cent of hourly median wages by January 2026.
"Budget 2025 will be remembered as a lost opportunity when we failed to properly grapple the crises in childcare, housing and numerous other areas," said ICTU General Secretary Owen Reidy.
SIPTU branded Budget 2025 as an irresponsible attempt by the Government to buy an election and a recipe for long-term instability in our public finances.
"Cutting taxes, increasing spending and balancing the books with transitory and unreliable corporate tax receipts is a recipe for long-term instability in our public finances," said SIPTU General Secretary, Joe Cunningham.
The Unite trade union said that today's package of budget measures will not lay the foundations for sustainable wage-led growth.
"With unprecedented funds at its disposal, the Government has made the wrong choices with an eye to the election rather than an eye to the future," said Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham.
The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) expressed disappointment in Budget 2025 and said it lacked meaningful support for young people and the youth work sector.
"While Budget 2025 includes an overall allocation of €8.3 billion to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth (DCEDIY), the funding for youth work services is disappointing and falls short of what is critically needed to support Ireland’s growing youth population," said Mary Cunningham, NYCI CEO.
"The confirmed €7 million for the expansion of youth work services is less than half what young people and the sector had advocated for," Ms Cunningham said.
