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EXPLOITATION and DISPLACEMENT

National Day of Protest

Date Released: 02 Dec 2005

The Executive Council of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has decided to call a National Day of Protest for Friday, December 9, 2005 to show solidarity with the workers in Irish Ferries and to demand Government action to address the issues of displacement and exploitation in the Irish economy. As part of the protest, a series of public demonstrations will be staged around the country.

To date, the venues include: Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Rosslare Harbour, Athlone, Sligo and Waterford (these venues may be subject to change). Demonstrations commence around lunchtime in each of these locations.

All members of the public are invited to attend. Commenting on the Day of Protest, Congress General Secretary David Begg said: "We do not accept government claims that they are powerless to do anything about this issue. In the past, we have seen the Dail recalled and legislation passed to deal with matters deemed to be of national concern. Is the protection of decent working conditions and the prevention of exploitation not such a matter? We believe it to be so and we believe the vast majority of Irish people feel similarly. As we have said all along, this is a matter of political will and political imagination. It is not a legal matter, it is a political matter. "We're calling on all members of the public - trade union members and non members alike - to join our protest. This is a matter of serious public concern - it could determine what sort of society we are creating for our children. As a society, we can decide to adopt a threshold of decency below which we will not go. Or we can base our future growth on gross exploitation of vulnerable and often desperate workers. Irish people can make their voices heard on December 9."





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