Belfast's Cost of Living Coalition has called for the regulation of home heating oil in Northern Ireland.
Around 70% of NI homes are heated with oil and price hikes earlier this month saw its cost jump 25%, adding over £100 to 500 litres.
The coalition, which includes activists from trade unions, community and campaign groups, unveiled a charter to help people across the North deal with rising food, fuel and child care costs on Wednesday (September 28).
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COLC Belfast says the crisis is “having a massive impact” on households across NI and urged the DUP to end their boycott of Stormont.
And they pressed “missing in action” MLAs to get to work protecting people and to support and legislate for inflation-busting pay rises for all workers, a £15 minimum wage, energy price freezes and cuts, increased and expanded welfare payments and more social housing.
They suggest government pays for it by taxing the rich and clawing back some of the energy firms’ huge profits but said Stormont could make some changes, like deferring benefit debt repayments without new funding.
People Before Profit MLA, Gerry Carroll, said: “There are actions government can take to ease the pressure of this crisis but they refuse to do so.
“We haven’t had an Assembly for some time and the DUP absolutely need to end their boycott. But it would be foolish to think Stormont ministers cannot do anything at this moment in time.
“They are still in post for at least 30 days... and they need to maximise every single opportunity to bring forward proposals, plans and legislation to stand by people because so far they have been missing in action.”
The Belfast MLA called on Economy Minister Gordon Lyons to “regulate home heating oil... as the price of it is going through the roof”.
He also urged him to reduce the “profit margins of energy companies who are making an absolute fortune on the backs of ordinary (struggling) people” and ensure the Utility Regulator has enough power to ensure energy firms can’t “increase prices at a whim”.
“We are calling for public ownership of these utilities and move away from dirty fossil fuel energy.
He later told us: “This is connected to the environment and climate change - because we are seeing huge multinational corporations not only destroying our environment and the planet, but they brag about the fact they are making record profits.
“The Economy Minister has a lot to answer for as his department has spent nothing on renewables in the last number of years.
“In our charter we have called for a rapid rollout of the insulation of homes - a quick way to protect people financially.
“We also call on Minister Hargey to implement an updated fuel poverty strategy [as] the last one goes back to 2011 - it’s simply unworkable and completely out of date,” he added.
“Stormont have failed to address poverty, pay and I am hoping the aims of the charter will be implemented when we get people organised on the streets on Saturday [Oct 1, 1pm at Belfast City Hall].”
The charter launch comes as Finance Minister Conor Murphy says he has written to Chief Secretary of the UK Treasury asking for the £100 home heating oil scheme to be urgently reviewed.
He said: “Offering households a derisory £100 will not provide sufficient support.
“I have urged Treasury to look again at a reduction in VAT to help small businesses at this time of crisis, an uplift in welfare benefits to help vulnerable families, funding to enable continued delivery of public services, and a fair pay rise for public sector workers.
“Support is needed and it is needed now if people are to keep their homes warm and if businesses are to keep their lights on.”
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