Entered into the database on Tuesday, December 13th, 2005 @ 20:22:45 MST
It is estimated by the police that over 100,000 workers took to the streets of
Dublin the Irish capital. While tens of thousand of workers brought the main cities
and towns across the country to a complete stand still as they took to the street
both in solidarity with the Irish Ferries workers and against the wide spread
exploitation of migrant workers. Workers are outraged at the use of migrant workers
particularly from Eastern Europe to undermine the wages and conditions of all
workers. Every union in the country both those affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade
Unions and those not had their banners on the marches, representing workers
from both the public and private sectors. Public transport came a complete standstill
across the country as transport workers marched in there thousands. While thousands
of building workers marched with their colourful safety jackets. It took two hours for the march to pass along the main street in the capital.
It was the biggest display by Irish workers in the last three decades and reflects
the depth of anger felt by workers at the treatment of the ferry workers. It
was also an opportunity to voice their opposition to the abuse in particular
by Irish as well as European employers, which clearly has the support of the
European Union, to use workers from eastern European as battering ram to bring
down the wages and conditions, which workers right across Europe have struggle
and won over many decades. The Communist Party distributed a leaflet calling upon workers to unite both
national and non-national and not to allow themselves to be turn upon each other
by the employers. The Party pointed out that the only people to gain from divisions
among workers were the boss class. Communist Party of Ireland