Appeal to masses but work and weather dampen expectations
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THOUSANDS of disaffected workers and unemployed people will take to the streets in eight cities and towns today, in a bid to influence next month's Budget.
The national day of protest organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) marks the start of a series of threatened protests and strike actions over the coming weeks.
But today's day of protest is not expected to draw the 100,000-plus who merged on a Saturday afternoon in Dublin last February -- because it is a work day and the protests will be spread over eight locations.
Workers in the public and private sector are being "encouraged" and "invited" to demonstrate -- during their time off -- in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Dundalk, Waterford and Tullamore.
Union sources were last night paving the way for a modest turnout countrywide. Impact chief Peter McLoone said today's demonstration represented an opportunity for people to vent their anger and make a statement to the Government.
"It's not a strike; it's not a stoppage. People who are participating will be participating in their own time," he said.
"I can't speculate on how many are going to turn out . . . the weather forecast isn't very favourable, but we'll see."
The new Frontline Alliance, representing gardai, nurses, prison officers and firefighters, will take part in the marches countrywide. The Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, affiliated to the alliance, will have off-duty members on the streets.
Gardai will not wear their uniforms, which would be illegal, but will wear special bibs bearing their association logos.
Teachers will be encouraged to attend the demonstrations after schools close, while nurses will be able to attend if full emergency cover is provided.
With 60pc of ICTU's members coming from the private sector, a huge number of construction workers are expected to march.
Also taking part are groups representing the unemployed, and the Communities against Cuts campaign -- representing thousands of workers providing essential services to children, the elderly, disabled, recovering drug addicts, Travellers, young people and women in the country's most disadvantaged areas.
Influence
"There's no point workers coming out after the Budget. You have to influence the outcome. The time is now -- when decisions are being made," one ICTU organiser said.
Last night, secretary of the Frontline Alliance Liam Doran said workers were fully aware of the need to maintain competitiveness and accepted that everyone must take "some of the pain".
"However, there is little evidence of a co-ordinated strategy by the Government to date. Its main focus has been on bailing out the banks, and, so far, the only role given to PAYE workers in the public or private sector is to foot the bill," Mr Doran added.
"We share a common objective in defending vital frontline services and making those wealthy elements in our society -- outside the PAYE sector -- pay their share."
February's march was perceived as a public sector protest against the pension levy, so organisers are trying to ensure that the message that goes out from today's marches is one of opposition to pay and spending cuts.
The protests will also focus on government economic and job creation plans -- in the hope that the day of action will not be perceived solely as a public sector event.
But business leaders criticised today's action, which they said would only add to the national headache.
IBEC's Brendan McGinty said the country needed a "plan to protect jobs, not a protest to disrupt jobs".
He criticised the "deliberate disruption" of public services and business by those who already had jobs.
"The real casualties of the economic downturn are the 422,500 people who have lost their jobs or who are underemployed. These are extraordinary times.
"Old solutions and old-style protests will not make one Irish person better off or their job more secure," he said.
Almost everybody accepted privately that reductions of income were inevitable if we were to protect jobs, he added.
- Aine Kerr Political Correspondent
Irish Independent
