Two major construction sites in Dublin have been brought to a standstill after crane operators from Unite union went on strike.

Labour's manifesto will offer a vision of a Britain in which "nobody is ignored, nobody is forgotten, nobody is left behind", Jeremy Corbyn has said.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

The Transport Minister Shane Ross is only concerned with issues affecting his own constituency, according to the National Bus and Rail Union.

Talks aimed at averting strikes by baggage handlers and other staff at 18 airports in the UK will be held at Acas next week.

An international conference has heard a proposal for a Basic Income of €150 a week for everyone of working age in Ireland to resolve welfare and work challenges in the country.

Lloyds is cutting 1,230 jobs in its group operations in the UK, retail, marketing and finance divisions as part of previously announced three-year strategy.

Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley has admitted he paid workers below the minimum wage, also telling British MPs he has discovered “issues” with working practices at the retailer as part of an internal review.

Bombardier is to cut its workforce in the North by more than 1,000 over the next two years.

The Unite union has said that the High Court ruling to overturn planning permission for the continued operation of Bord na Mona’s Edenderry plant has come "at a time of heightened industrial tension".

CHRISTMAS is traditionally when we reflect on the past 12 months and speculate about the future. What feels different about the 2014 political review/scene setter is that there is so much happening that it is difficult to make a prediction of any accuracy about next year.

Up to 300 gardaí have been drafted in to police tomorrow’s water charge protest outside Government Buildings, which is expected to attract tens of thousands of people.

State-backed Lloyds Banking Group is to cut 9,000 jobs over the next three years as part of plans which will see the net closure of 150 branches.

By Mary Regan, Irish Examiner Political Editor

The UNITE union has said that Ireland needs to be aiming for a sustainable wage led economic recovery.

The Department of Social Protection has been urged to stop dragging its heels over the Waterford Crystal workers pension row, after it emerged 30 of the firm’s ex-employees have died without any resolution.

The Unite union has voted to accept the Haddington Road agreement.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has insisted a deal to cut €1bn from the public sector pay bill is fair and proportionate.

About 200 people turned out for a “pre-budget” protest in Waterford city at the weekend.

Staff at Aviva whose jobs have been placed at risk in a £400m cost-cutting drive are paying “the price of boardroom failure”, a union said today.

The union representing fuel tanker drivers in the UK claimed today their working conditions had been “eroded”, ahead of peace talks to avoid strike action.

Staff at the EBS building society have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action during Christmas week.

A vicar has been told he cannot claim unfair dismissal because he is "employed by God".

The Unite union has said that there is a "mood of anger and defiance" among Aviva staff after the insurance giant announced 950 job cuts yesterday.

Senior union figures have said the announcement of 950 job cuts at Aviva is "worse than anybody anticipated".

Union representatives are meeting management at Aviva this morning after the company revealed it is carrying out a review of its business here.

Britain’s biggest banks saw their shares fall today after a Government-appointed commission unveiled a far-reaching reform package set to cost the industry up to £7bn (€8.1bn) a year.

THE British government plans to shut part of the nuclear plant in Sellafield, northern England, as soon as possible, and on commercial grounds, following Japan’s nuclear disaster.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has opened the door for Government and unions to create a new form of social partnership on workers’ rights.

Lloyds Banking Group delivered another blow to staff today as it unveiled plans to slash a further 15,000 jobs by 2014 in a bid to save £1.5bn (€1.66bn) a year.

A Shannon-based firm is set to lose a quarter of its 300-strong workforce.

London: British Airways cabin crew are to be balloted on whether to hold further strikes in a long-running dispute which has already cost the airline some £150 million (€175m), their union said yesterday.

Europe’s sovereign debt crisis refused to loosen its grip on world markets today as commodity stocks led a fresh plunge for the FTSE 100 Index.

The FTSE 100 Index surged 1.4% today as investors were cheered by decent economic news and corporate results from across the Atlantic.

Crucial talks will be held today aimed at averting the threat of strikes by airport workers which could cause travel chaos for holidaymakers before the end of the school break.

Thousands of British holidaymakers face the prospect of travel chaos following an overwhelming vote for strike action by workers at BAA airports, including Heathrow.

UK airport operator BAA will find out today whether thousands of its workers will strike in a dispute over pay that could cause disruption to flights at the end of the summer holidays.

British Airways said today that cabin crew strikes and Iceland’s volcanic ash cloud had sent the beleaguered airline £164m (€196m) into the red for the three months to June 30.

The prospect of more passenger flight disruption in the UK loomed today after the Unite union announced it was balloting 6,000 members for strike action at BAA’s six UK airports in a dispute over pay.

British Airways bosses faced a storm of questions today over their handling of the airline’s bitter cabin crew dispute.

The Unite union is to accept the Croke Park deal on public sector pay and reform in an apparent u-turn.

The UK's Unite union said there was little hope of a breakthrough in its bitter cabin crew dispute with British Airways, despite agreeing to postpone a strike ballot.