ICTU boss does not speak on our behalf

OUR organisation wishes to publicly disassociate itself with the comments of David Begg, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, who condemns the anti-bin tax protestors in Dublin.

Just two years ago, Joe Moore, who was then president of the Cork Council of Trade Unions, along with eight colleagues, were imprisoned on the same issue. At that time the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, although limp in its response, at least did not condemn the efforts of trade unionists who stood up for their principles and opposed this unfair double tax.

The trade union movement is supposed to be one of the social partners for the past 16 years. If service charges imposed on workers, followed by imprisonment, are to be the pursuits of our “partners”, then we are glad that our organisation is no longer associated with this arrangement.