The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is to launch a major union campaign to press for urgent action on the Housing & Homeless Emergency, on Wednesday, 20th September. The campaign will be formally launched by Congress President Sheila Nunan and General Secretary Patricia King. The launch will take place in the Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, at 3.00 p.m. on 20th September. The campaign launch follows the formation of a new Congress Housing Committee – with representatives from a wide range of affiliate unions – to press for urgent action and policy change on the housing and homeless emergency. In particular, Congress is calling on the government to: declare a Housing Emergency and initiate a major programme of social housing construction, led by local authorities across the country; the use of Cumpulsory Purchase Orders to tackle 'land hoarding'; double the rate of the Vacant Site Levy from 3% to 6% and bring forward its introduction to January 2018; reform the rental market through the creation of a European Cost Rental model, in Ireland.
Congress to Launch Major Campaign on Housing and Homeless Emergency
