SF POSITION:THE ELECTORATE needs to vote No to give the Government a strong mandate to renegotiate the Lisbon Treaty, according to Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams.
Speaking following a meeting in Dublin of the party's ard chomhairle or national executive, Mr Adams said "in this country there is vast experience when it comes to negotiations over the past 20 years".
"We know that it is possible to secure a better deal but it will only happen if the people make it happen by voting No on June 12th and giving the Government a strong mandate."
Mr Adams, who canvassed with Mary Lou McDonald MEP on Henry Street and Moore Street on Saturday after the meeting said: "Ireland is the only place in the European Union to have a vote on the Lisbon Treaty, but there are tens of millions of people across the EU who have been denied a vote and who oppose this treaty.
"The fact is that the Lisbon Treaty cannot proceed without the support of the Irish people so if it does not go through it will have to be renegotiated," he claimed.
Sinn Féin is the only party in the Dáil to oppose the treaty and Mr Adams called on the Government "and the other parties on the Yes side to put aside the scaremongering and engage in a proper debate for the remaining days of the campaign".
"A strong No vote on June 12th would create a huge opportunity for the Irish Government to address those issues which are clearly of concern to the public."
In a separate development, the country's largest trade union, Siptu, reiterated its position on the Lisbon Treaty, saying it would only support the treaty if the Government agreed to its demand for collective bargaining rights.
Siptu president Jack O'Connor described Thursday's referendum as a "critically important" decision for the Irish people and for workers in Ireland.
Mr O'Connor said the union, which says it represents 250,000 workers, would "very much like" to be able to recommend to its members that they should support the treaty. However, it would do so only if the Government confirmed that "entitlement to the benefits of collective bargaining (and the prohibition against discrimination for those seeking to avail of it), which is enshrined as a fundamental right in the treaty, will actually apply to workers in Ireland".
This, he continued, was one of the key provisions of the treaty and balanced the interests of workers with those of business.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen, in response, said the issue of collective bargaining could only be dealt with in the context of the social partnership talks.