Union leaders drum up support with new publication

Union leaders are drumming up support across the country with the first all-Ireland publication on the recession, it emerged today.

Congress has produced a 32-page digest focusing on the economic downturn, mass job cuts, collapse of the pay talks – and its plan for recovery.

A special first edition of 'The Union Post' was released this week to coincide with a national demonstration in Dublin this Saturday.

A Congress spokesman said when it becomes a monthly on-line publication it will have a target audience of up to 850,000 people across the country.

“There’s a major gap out there as to how unions are perceived and how they are putting their message across in a slightly disconnected fashion,” he said.

“This publication is our analysis of where we are and where we need to go.

“It is a special edition devoted to the crisis, the bigger crisis that followed the breakdown of the pay talks, and our response.

“The audience is primarily trade unions, but obviously it will reach beyond that. It is for people who want to see what we are saying.

“There is a huge sense of anger and frustration and bewilderment at the pace of events but there’s no national focus on it.

“That’s why we didn’t just oppose something, we have also come out and put positives on the table and said this is what we believe should work.”

Tens of thousands of people are expected to come out in force for a rally this weekend, which Congress has described as the first step in a rolling campaign of action to put fairness back on the agenda.

It will highlight its 10-point plan to address the crisis with proposals on protecting jobs, taxation, and restoring consumer confidence.

“We are saying there is a better way to deal with his crisis rather than resort in to the tactics of the 1980s, which was slash and burn,” continued the Congress spokesman.

“If you cut everything around you, cut public services, cut spending, you are going to go into a downward spiral.

“By taking money out of people’s pockets there is less to spend, less goods bought, less shopping done, more places closed, and more jobs lost.”

Congress said the rising unemployment rate also has to be addressed with creativity.

“There is no greater waste of money and waste of people’s lives than throwing them on the dole,” he added.

“There are other ways to tackle this, like taking social welfare money and putting it into training schemes.”