The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) has announced it has joined the SaveJobs campaign.
The association said the campaign was formed in reaction to a 'lack of government appreciation for the pivotal role played by local, independent businesses in towns and villages across the country.'
'Primary Aim'
"For many months, as a reaction to the current spate of restaurant and café closures being witnessed across the county, the Restaurants Association of Ireland’s primary aim has been to advocate for policies that will save businesses and save jobs," said Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland.
“We expect that the SaveJobs campaign will prove a crucial step towards the RAI’s aim of saving small, independent food-led hospitality businesses across the country."
Signed Pledge
The SaveJobs campaign is a collective effort by various small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) representative bodies.
Supporters of the campaign are being asked to sign a pledge to write to their local political representatives highlighting the 'current mistreatment' of Irish SMEs.
'Extremely Disappointed'
“While there will always be certain issues of particular significance to different industries and different representative groups - including the VAT rate of the food-led hospitality industry, for example - the fact of the matter is that, at the moment, the sky-high cost of business is ravaging each and every SME in Ireland," said Cummins.
“SMEs from all sectors were extremely disappointed by last October’s Budget 2024 and all SMEs also share significant concerns around the Department Of Enterprise’s report published last week acknowledging that the impact of cost increases resulting from government policy will only worsen in the coming years."
