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SIPTU PRESIDENT JACK O’Connor has described further dialogue between the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Troika as ‘at best, pointless’.
He made the comments following yesterday’s meeting between Congress representatives and the EU/ECB/IMF in Dublin.
He commented:
These meetings serve no useful purpose whatsoever. Indeed, their only motivation is quite clearly to provide some veneer of consultation. The fact of the matter is that these people are simply bagmen for the big European banks who are not interested in hearing any alternatives to their wage devaluation strategy.
O’Connor said that this “agenda”, “is impoverishing working people in Ireland and across Europe” and is being driven “with relentless ideological zeal and in total disregard for the overwhelming evidence that one sided austerity is not working”.
He said that so far, the only result from several meetings that Congress has participated in with the Troika is “the rubbishing of well thought out proposals that impede its agenda which can be summed up as ‘there is no alternative’”.
He will put a motion before the Executive Council of Congress today calling for an end to any further meetings with the Troika.
European Commission
Speaking on Morning Ireland this morning, spokesperson for the European Commission, Simon O’Connor, said he didn’t want to comment on this specific case, but that dialogue with the Irish trade unions has consistently been frank, and there had been useful exchanges.
He said the Troika had made a major effort to engage with Trade Unions, and had a long meeting with the ICTU on Monday.
He said that “no lip service is being paid here” and that it is a genuine effort. He said that the Troika shares the concern of the Irish trade unions about the fiscal adjustment that’s underway and said it is a necessary one. He said the commission is fully engaged in this project and it is an “evolving situation”.
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Tokenism from this quisling. Much too little, much too late.
On this Petr, I completely agree with you for once. Mr O’Connor on a €122k a year and his ilk make my blood boil. A shameless individual
welcome back jack from wherever u have been hiding bit late to b commentating now…
He hasnt been needed since his labour colleagues have been doing all of his bidding for him , Highest paid civil and public servants untouched while services eviscerated , good job jack, true champion of the public elites !
Right on the money Tensing….Keep Croke Park at all costs nevermind that the country is going down the tubes
Jack O’Connor, you wouldnt trust him with a bucket of shite.
How much did he get himself again???
I agree with his point, but the message gets lost when you know the likes of him are on extravagant wages themselves.
122k a year I think he said it was on the radio last year.
Imagine if the unions actually came out to support the people of Ireland. He knows the game is up. He’s on the pigs back (croke park) but the troika are coming for that too.
Jaysus all the red thumbs!! Must be all the croke Parkers flat out working far to busy to be in the journal in the middle of the day! Or is it lunch time yet 12-2.15!!
That’s it, Jack, hide in the cupboard and hope the nasty men go away.
Good man ” I’m alright Jack”, he always reminds of the Queen of England taking strawberries of the menu at Buckingham Palace because she discovered the price of them. People who are organising a protest should start outside SIPTU’s offices.
We should Not be paying the promissory note. We should default on paying it because ECB is forcing us into paying something we don’t have,
What’s up Jackie, afraid of a bit a reality?
Reality? Nobody should be meeting them; they are wreckers; they have no right to dictate policy in this country.
Exactly Petr – maybe one more meeting to tell them not to return and that we will be starting our own currency again which wont be manipulated by their partners the ECB to plunge us further into poverty.
They truly are the banking dynasties liquidation machine making sure we remain in perpetual debt and handing over all our assets in return.
Oliver,
I read your remark and thought it was very humorous until I realised you were being serious !!!!!!
I despair with views like your considering the shite FF left us in, and you want to shoot the guy holding the rope with the lifeboat !!
Feeling angry and feeling the need to blame is valid, just make sure you direct it at the person/people who caused the original problem
Jim ahh – if you think the IMF/Troika are our friends then you are grossly deceived. Look at their history in Central and South America and SE Asia – they asset strip nations.
They are no lifeboat – that is the big deception -most people think they are some kind of global financial security agency that swoop in to save nations from naughty policitians (although politicians bribing of the electorate using borrowed money is a major problem).
Look for independent information on what they have done. The red pill will explain all….
When is FG + Labour and their combined hacks going to STOP Blaming FFailures and the Greens on what is happening NOW. Yes we all know ,it is like a broken down record .WE KNOW., but FG+ Laqb are in government NOW and as far as I am concerned they are worse because they knew what they were getting into, lied to get there , broke the promises they made and are in denial of doing it .
Now Jack knows how the ordinary people felt where he and his ilk sold their souls to Bertie.
Jack has the workers interest at heart
*Sarcasm font* there Mike?
which workers though u sound like a politician Mike a Labour 1 by the sound of it
A sure sign that the troika are putting pressure on croke park. Oh know! How there they. Let everyone else carry the can!!! Should be interesting few weeks for jackie and co.
Is this a sign ?
Is this a sign that Jack O’Connor’s buddies in the Labour party are growing a pair ,
and instead of coming straight out with it are using SIPTU to speak ”plainly” after all
we have been through ?
Yeah I can just see it all now ….
Labour are worried for their seats . Things are becoming impossible for the government
and they decide to use the unions to speak out having kept them shut up for nearly two years.
Jack as someone said ”I’m alright Jack” ”much too little, much too late” .
Of course , SIPTU should never have been to talks with the troika , that goes without saying and he earns 122,000 a year for that !
Pathetic. The minute he gets a little push back and someone possibly askes him to justify and defend Croke Park he just runs away and refuses to play. I’m sure the members of SIPTU feel he is well worth his 122k a year! If he cant represent his postion and his “members interests” then he should resign.
Maybe the unions should stop meeting their buddies in the Labour party as they aren’t listening either? Or maybe something more effective, cut of their funding of the Labour party!!
Maybe Jack should do the negociating with Brussels
Jack the benchmarking man as Jack on his beanstalk!
Jack I think we should put a picket on the troika gate that’ll teach them
Any chance of this rich bearded leftie and all his cronies just saddling up and leaving town .
have your say