The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has criticised spending cuts in the community and voluntary sector as "short-sighted and ultimately self-defeating."
Launching a new study on the impact of cuts - Downsizing the Community Sector - Congress General Secretary David Begg said it was clear many of the cuts were taking place "below the radar and out of the spotlight. But their impact is enormous. In many communities these cuts are eroding the social fabric, eating away at what binds those communities together," he said.
The report has been published by the Community Sector Committee of Congress and shows that since the onset of the crisis, the sector has experienced cuts of between 17% and 54%.
This could result in the loss of up to 11,150 jobs, by 2013.
"Not only is this morally wrong, it is also self-defeating as an absence of services at local level doesn't mean the need for that service goes away, it means people will fall back on the state.
"Equally, there is no social or economic benefit to be had from throwing people out of work when they want to make a contribution to their communities," he said.
Downsizing the Community Sector by researcher Brian Harvey was launched in Dublin's Mansion House in the presence of the Lord Mayor.
