ICTU urge union members to protest

THE country’s 650,000 trade union members have been asked to take part in a nationwide mass protest, starting on November 6 and lasting beyond the December budget, against the Government’s handling of the economic crisis.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said the protests will be directed squarely at the Government’s inaction on the jobs crisis, its threats to the pay and employment of public service workers and its failure to address the inadequacy of private sector pension schemes.

On November 6, ICTU will organise six mass rallies in centres around the country, including Dublin and Cork. The significance of the date is that, while the event in March was held on a Saturday and not a weekday when it would impinge on the majority of people’s working week, this time it is taking place on a Friday.