THE MAN who led a walk from Donegal to Dublin in protest at austerity measures has had his social welfare cut.
Joe Murphy (44), Culdaff, Co Donegal, captured the public’s imagination when he undertook the walk with a number of other members of the Donegal Action Against Austerity protest group.
The group appeared on the Late Late Show and the walk culminated in a protest outside the Convention Centre Dublin on the day of the Fine Gael Ardfheis on March 31st.
However, the unemployed builder has revealed how he has had four days of his dole money cut. The father of two grown-up children, he currently receives €300 a week on the jobseeker’s allowance.
Because he is classed as “self-employed” he was due to be have his yearly assessment on March 15th. However he could not attend because he was on the protest walk.
“I was allowed 12 days’ holidays and I think everyone on the dole is entitled to that, but I was cut four days’ dole money because they said I was unavailable for work. Because I was on the protest walk, they said I was not available.
“Does that mean if I go for a walk down the town then they can turn off my dole?”
Mr Murphy said he believed the order to cut his dole money came from the top.
He had absolutely no problem with the staff of his local social welfare office in Buncrana, he stressed. He said local staff had written him a cheque for €310 to keep him going.