Minister responds to urgent call for inflation relief

It is hard to believe that a left-wing government cannot do more to help families struggling to make ends meet as prices continue to rise.

So says Sonja J. Jógvansdóttir, chairwoman of trade union umbrella organisation Samtak, who has been calling for urgent inflation relief for those hit hardest by the rising cost of living.

“This is an emergency. Give those who struggle the most a one-off payment right now,” she says.

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Responding to this plea, Sirið Stenberg, the Minister of Social Affairs and Culture, says the government is doing all it can to address this issue.

“We are committed to alleviating the burden of inflation on our citizens,” she says.

“One of the first things the government did when it assumed office at the start of this year was to introduce an urgent inflation relief package and to increase the family supplement. We have also increased pension payments and other allowances.”

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She adds that the government is keeping a close eye on the situation and is willing to consider extending the current inflation relief package.

Responding specifically to Jógvansdóttir’s call for immediate aid for the hardest-hit families, the minister says it is unlikely that Parliament will approve any such emergency aid before Christmas.

Read the Faroese versions of this article here and here.

More Faroese News in English.