No justification for sell-off, warn trade unions

The sale of state assets has been denounced by trade unions, with Siptu general secretary Jack O’Connor claiming there was “no justification” for the move and that the measure was “a tragedy” for Labour.

While the Government argued the sale of the assets for almost €3bn would lead to job creation, Siptu said there would be “no silver lining” on a “sad day” for the country.

Mr O’Connor said: “This measure is coming about at the insistence of the EU-ECB-IMF troika, which is committed to the nonsensical policies that reflect the outlook which caused the economic crisis in the first place.