Protest criticised by union chief

Efforts to involve the trade union movement in the anti-bin charges protest received a setback when Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary David Begg came out strongly against the campaign.

He called on the jailed duo Deputy Joe Higgins and Councillor Clare Daly to "cool things down" by purging their contempt, because they are leading "ordinary working people into a cul-de-sac of imprisonment in pursuit of a political objective."

Some people have been exploiting public emotions in this campaign. There is no such thing as free waste disposal.

Somebody is going to have to pay. Thus, the real issue is how the charges will be collected.

If everybody who can afford to pay contributes towards the cost of waste disposal, the charges on everybody else will be minimal.

Speaking in the US, the Taoiseach noted that the protesters are objecting to paying 5 a week for a tag to collect their waste.

"If you think that's too high," he said, "check the price in other countries."

The people of Fingal don't have to go outside this country at all; they only need the check the charges in other counties.

The victims of this protest so far are the householders who are being inconvenienced and the public who could be exposed to health hazards as a result of uncollected rubbish, as well as the taxpaying public who are essentially being saddled with the cost of the campaign.

Mr Begg warned that members of the union working for the council could ultimately become victims, if the anti-bin protest leads to the privatisation of waste collection services.