Trade unions meet Durkan for anti-sectarianism talks

Trade unionists are meeting Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan today in a bid to find ways in which they can help tackle sectarianism.

Northern Ireland representatives from the Irish Congress of Trades Unions were due to meet the nationalist SDLP leader in their Belfast headquarters after a summer of sectarian street clashes and in the wake of the murder last week by Loyalists of Catholic teenager Gerard Lawlor.

Mr Durkan said ahead of the meeting that all sections of society needed to work together on a ‘‘common platform’’ to counter sectarianism.

He paid tribute to the trade union movement, saying it had been ‘‘active in combating sectarianism in the workplace’’.

Mr Durkan went on: ‘‘I am here to meet them and acknowledge the crucial role they play.

‘‘The social partners have always helped sustain the process through periods of doubt and difficulty before.

‘‘I am eager to work with social partners and all stake-holders in our society to build a cycle of non-violence and combat sectarian attitudes and violent actions that threaten the new beginning to our society.’’

The Deputy First Minister, who will also later today deliver a keynote address to the 15th John Hewitt International Summer School in Carnlough, Co Antrim, stressed the importance of all sections of Northern Ireland society standing together against religious bigotry.

There was a particular onus on politicians to maintain the political institutions at Stormont, Mr Durkan added.

‘‘It is vital in order to maintain the momentum against sectarianism that we all continue to work together and main our new democratic institutions,’’ he said.

‘‘Without them we will lack the common platform to counter those bent on sectarian confrontation.’’

Mr Durkan’s comments follow a warning on Saturday by his Ulster Unionist Cabinet colleague Sir Reg Empey that the British government’s failure to tackle breaches of the IRA ceasefire was placing his party in a ‘‘terrible dilemma’’ over whether it should remain in government with Sinn Fein or should threaten to collapse the institutions.