The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) is to stage a national day of demonstration in November in an effort to try to influence government’s decisions on the forthcoming budget. ICTU president Jack O’Connor said this would involve marches in about six locations on the afternoon of Friday, 6 November. The Congress will reactivate its campaign for the implementation of a 10-point plan for dealing with the economic crisis in “a fairer way”. A day earlier, the large SIPTU union lodged a claim for a 3.5% pay increase for about 34,000 staff in the health service, arguing that it represented the first phase of the rise due under the national pay deal negotiated last autumn. The Government subsequently froze these increases for staff in the public sector. Asked about this pay claim, O’Connor said that he would not stop members taking industrial action in pursuit of such claims.
English: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0930/breaking11.htm ; http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/siptu-warns … via
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