Young people need to make their voices heard at the ballot box on February 26, the Youth Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has said.
Urging a high youth turnout on polling day, Youth Committee Chairperson Teresa Walsh said:
"Young people need to make their voices heard by turning out in large numbers Friday, February 26 to ensure that youth can play a role in shaping the next government and its policies.
'the pay and conditions of younger workers has been adversely hit in recent years and we need to see our job prospects extend beyond precarious work or emigration.
'to make this happen we need young people to engage and turn out to vote in high numbers on Friday", Ms Walsh said.
She pointed out that the 2015 Marriage Equality Referendum saw a big increase in the number of young voters and said a similar level of engagement was required in General Election 2016.
"It is critical that young people have a say on issues that directly affect them, now and into the future," Ms Walsh concluded.