Union boss: standoff is a defining moment

THE standoff at Irish Ferries is a defining moment for Irish society, SIPTU president Jack O’Connor said yesterday.

Calling for a national day of protest next Friday, he said the current dispute would decide whether Irish society was “based on decency and fair play, or on thuggery, exploitation and the law of the jungle.”

“At moments such as this, it is not enough for those who are entrusted with public responsibility to utter comforting words and do nothing else,” he said.