The SIPTU Supporting Quality consumer campaign is aimed at protecting jobs in Ireland and supporting quality Irish products. Supporting Quality encourages consumers to consider the wider economic and social impact of their shopping choices.
The campaign grants products which are produced in unionised workplaces in Ireland the right to indicate this with a Supporting Quality mark and their inclusion on the Supporting Quality website.The Supporting Quality campaign and associated products will also be continually promoted among the 200,000 members of SIPTU and their families.
More and more people are realising that there is a need to support brands produced by companies which support decent employment in Ireland. Indigenous manufacturing will be central to the country’s economic recovery and the Supporting Quality campaign allows consumers to play their part by choosing quality Irish products produced by companies which provide decent jobs.
The economic impact of the right consumer choices on the indigenous manufacturing sector is very significant. It goes all the way from the factory floor to product packaging, transportation and warehousing through to the shop counter. Bigger companies sustain hundreds of smaller suppliers by buying raw materials, technologies and maintenance services. In turn, this contributes billions in income tax, corporation tax and VAT to the Irish exchequer every year.
In order to tackle the unemployment crisis in Ireland the focus has to be on creating new jobs and maintaining existing ones. The future prospects for the Irish economy will depend on the survival and growth of existing and start-up indigenous companies.At the start of the crisis in this country, some 70% of all manufacturing businesses employed fewer than 20 workers. The potential for expansion is huge but it depends on Irish consumers “thinking quality” when they next go to buy a new lock for the door, a box of chocolates or contact lens solution. A number of Irish food and drink products are synonymous with Irish unionised companies. However, there are also many more cosmetic, hardware, machinery and other products made in Irish unionised workplaces which need our support.
Opting to support quality workplaces does not necessarily imply a higher cost but it will mean the difference between survival and failure for many Irish businesses. Joining the Supporting Quality campaign sustains existing quality Irish jobs and allows you play your part in reviving the Irish domestic economy.