Labour dismisses call to sever ties with trade unions

A SENIOR Minister’s call for the Labour Party to consider severing its links with trade unions has been dismissed by the party as a “diversionary tactic” aimed at deflecting attention from the controversy surrounding corporate donations.

Over the weekend, the Minister for Communications Dermot Ahern questioned the relationship between political parties and trade unions. Where funds are donated there cannot be “the faintest hint of a reciprocal relationship,” he said in remarks carried in a Sunday newspaper.

However, a spokesman for the Labour Party last night pointed out that there was a long and historical link between the party and trade unions, adding that the party had in fact been set up by the trade union movement.

“At this point in time, there are only two unions, SIPTU and Unison, affiliated to Labour. The amount of support it gets is €25,000 a year from SIPTU and a few thousand from Unison, both for collective membership of the party.”

He went on to say there was no question of a conflict of interest and pointed out the party and trade unions had taken very different positions on fundamental issues in the past, and would do so again.

The spokesman said Ahern’s comments were designed to divert attention away from the controversy over Environment Minister Martin Cullen’s intention to allow a substantial increase in corporate donations to political parties.

Mr Ahern said he was strongly against any raising of the cap on donations to political parties, which stands at €6,380 at present.

He is the first senior minister to disagree publicly with Mr Cullen on the matter.

Calling on the Government to state clearly its position on corporate donations, the Green’s spokesman on finance Dan Boyle said: “Fianna Fáil is speaking out of both sides of its mouth on the subject of corporate donations. It is time for the Government to state whether they are going to increase, maintain, decrease or get rid of corporate donations altogether.”

Mr Boyle added: “In light of the recent reports of Fianna Fáil’s €1.5 million debt, consideration should be given to some kind of legal barrier to prevent any Government from introducing laws that would be of financial benefit to the political parties of that Government. An independent body or individual should make these decisions,” he said.