THE IRISH Congress of Trade Unions will today consider proposals for it to organise widespread work stoppages as part of a campaign against Government cutbacks and austerity measures.
Last month, the Irish regional secretary of the Unite union, Jimmy Kelly, said it would put proposals for a national strike to congress and would seek support from other unions.
He suggested such action could start with a half-day stoppage “and building on that to the sort of strike action that will affect the incoming government”.
Unite also urged that unions should lead a campaign of civil disobedience that could involve refusal to pay service charges or any new water or property taxes.
Informed sources said the meeting of the Ictu general purposes committee today would have to take account of recent political developments, notably that a general election was now imminent.
Mr Kelly said in his proposals following an Ictu march in Dublin last November that it was becoming clear a consensus was emerging on an alternative economic and banking strategy.
He suggested that this alternative economic strategy would involve increased taxation of around €2 billion on high-income and high-wealth groups, no cuts in the overall level of public spending, a multi-year multi-billion euro programme of public investment, and banks and bondholders held responsible for their own debts.
