6,000 take part in city protest

Date Published: 10-Nov-2009

REPRESENTATIVES from the public and private sectors, as well as the unemployed, were united in the city on Friday when between 5,000 and 6,000 people took part in the national public protest at wage cuts and proposed budgetary cuts.

The Get Up, Stand Up march was hosted by the Galway Council of Trade Unions for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which organised the one day protest.

There was a good mix of the public and private sectors at the march, which gathered at Galway Cathedral and ended up at the Spanish Arch, where a rally was held.

Pat Keane, Chairman of the Galway Council of Trade Unions, acted as Master of Ceremonies on the podium and thanked everyone for taking part in the first of a series of protests to be held at various centres over the next few weeks – the next one is scheduled for November 24 but that one is specifically a public sector strike.

Brendan Cunningham, Sectoral Organiser for SIPTU, mirrored what marchers were chanting when he said that workers were angry at the Government for “getting us into this mess” but angrier still that they didn’t appear to be proactive on protecting people’s jobs and homes.

“We need to stop the recession turning into depression. We have had enough. The message has to get through that the low to mid income families are carrying the burden but it should be borne by those who can afford it.

“There should be a job restoration and creation policy with nearly half a million people on the Live Register but instead we are facing another €4 billion cut from public services in the next Budget.”

John Carty, the Divisional Organiser for Impact, said that there was an agenda to “divide and conquer” as there were efforts to put a divide between public and private sector workers, between men and women, between white and blue collar workers and between Irish and foreign workers.

“But we will not be fragmented in Galway. The Government can take our answer to the banks. We have a struggle ahead but we will be resisting unilateral wage cuts imposed by companies as scare tactics and opportunism,” he added.

Ann Fergus, Chair of the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed, said the centre, based in Nun’s Island had been there for 20 years but that sadly it looked like it would be there for another 20. She said the proposed cuts were attacking unemployed families and that instead of cuts, they should be getting support.

Ann Irwin of the Community Workers’ co-operative also addressed the crowd warning that their work with the disabled, the Travellers, women and communities that didn’t benefit from the Celtic Tiger also had to be protected.