THE GENERAL secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has said it would be unacceptable if ordinary workers carried the burden for dealing with the country's current economic and financial difficulties, writes Martin Wall.
Speaking at the Impact conference in Kilkenny yesterday, David Begg said there was a golden circle of about 450 "Celtic oligarchs" who between them had generated capital gains of about €41 billion in recent years through various deals.
"These people are very well off and they have decided that the best way to deal with the financial difficulties is for ordinary workers to carry the burden, 71 per cent of whom earn less than €38,000.
"I do not think so. Not this time", he said.
Meanwhile, Impact delegates voted at the conference for the union to develop its own reform proposals aimed at achieving high quality and equitable public services.
Impact general secretary Peter McLoone said unions were "fighting a losing battle" in their efforts to defend public services.
"The choice we face is to either let those who care more for private profit than for public service to set the agenda, or to boldly set it ourselves," Impact's general secretary said.
Mr McLoone said recent Government and management-led modernisation programmes in the public service had focused on attacking working conditions and introducing private provision, rather than improving public services or responding to the real needs and experiences of the people who depended on them.