Up to 80,000 people are expected to line Dublin’s main thoroughfare to mark the 100th anniversary of Ireland’s greatest industrial dispute.

A CONTINUATION of the Government’s current “austerity programme” could destroy the Irish economy and kill off any prospects of recovery, the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has warned.

The trade union movement will today begin to consider its next moves following the success of yesterday's demonstration.

THE Government has indicated to the social partners that there may be technical difficulties in increasing taxation this year, even though unions are demanding immediate action to broaden the tax base in 2009.

THE decision on whether there will be a new national wage agreement should be made within the next 24 hours, it emerged yesterday.

WHEN Brian Cowen became Minister for Finance in September 2004, his department mandarins may have welcomed him with open arms; aglow with excitement, announcing he had a budget surplus of €2.3 billion.

Efforts to involve the trade union movement in the anti-bin charges protest received a setback when Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary David Begg came out strongly against the campaign.

GLOBAL business interests are jeopardising social rights, SIPTU’s biannual conference in Galway heard yesterday.

AIRPORT unions last night threatened industrial action if Transport Minister Seamus Brennan proceeds with his plans to break up Aer Rianta.

ONE of the country’s main union leaders yesterday gave his full backing to the proposed new pay deal that promises a 7% increase to private sector workers.

THE country’s trade union head said yesterday that gloomy economic predictions should not prevent workers getting substantial increases in a new wage agreement.

A rail strike is to go ahead on Tuesday next after the ATGWU served notice of industrial action, which will result in a series of one-day stoppages throughout the month of May.