Trade union leaders have come in for strong criticism at the CPSU conference for their "silence" in the face of recent scandals.
Delegate after delegate told conference that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions should have mobilised thousands of workers on the streets to demand the jailing of corrupt politicians and businessmen.
Many of them also used the opportunity to attack the concept of social partnership. It was politicians such as Mr Charles Haughey who had conceived social partnership, Ms Bernadette Barrington of An Post branch said.
"While they were telling us to tighten our belts they skived their money away and people were dying on hospital waiting lists.
"The arrogance and smugness of these people is stomach-churning. They are smug because they think they are going to get away with it."
She added: "We have a housing scandal because we have a planning scandal, and we have a planning scandal because we have a corruption scandal. But trade union leaders are too wedded to the fringe benefits of social partnership to take action. No amount of soundbites and glossy documents will tackle the problem."
Mr Dennis Purdue of the Revenue Commissioners branch in Limerick said: "The unions have entered an era of non-confrontation called partnership. The Italians went out on the streets to protest at political corruption but it's against the spirit of partnership.
"We have to associate with the criminals who are pushing up housing prices and who are in Dail Eireann because we are in partnership. Unions in partnership are a bit like David turning up to meet Goliath without his slingshot."
But the CPSU general secretary, Mr Blair Horan, said he had no reluctance condemning corruption. "Partnership is not about selling your soul or remaining silent on these issues," he said.
It was ICTU policy that "where anyone is found guilty of corruption through due process of law they should and must be jailed."