Labour's key issue in talks must be growth plan, says Siptu

UNIONS' VIEWS:AN ECONOMIC plan that stresses growth and not austerity is a key issue the Labour Party should be negotiating with its potential coalition partners, according to Siptu president Jack O'Connor.

But trade union Unite has said the “future of Irish politics lies with the Labour Party” and urged it not to enter government but to “lead a left-wing coalition of Opposition”.

In a letter yesterday to each of the party’s 37 TDs, the union’s regional secretary Jimmy White said choosing coalition with Fine Gael “would be to step back into the outdated alignment of Civil War politics”.

He warned it would mean a “chance for genuine change foregone and would be very harshly judged by the electorate in three, four or five years’ time”.

He said “the decisions made in the coming days have the potential to transform the Irish political landscape and to realign the political divide to one of left against right, progressive against neo-liberal, socially inclusive against market driven”.

Mr O’Connor said Siptu’s priorities were those set out in the Labour Party manifesto “jobs, economic renewal and planning for growth”.

Contacted for his view on what the party’s stance should be in coalition talks with Fine Gael, Mr O’Connor said that after the economic issues, the key social agenda items were “public interest investments and commitments made in relation to that area – health and public provision”.

Mr O’Connor added: “I am sure that in the negotiations they will try to reach agreement on aspects of the manufactories that are broadly reconcilable.”

Stressing that Siptu was not involved in any way in the negotiations, he said “the issues that are not reconcilable – those issues will have to be addressed in one way or another.

“For us in the trade union movement, the key is a viable economic plan that will generate jobs and place emphasis on economic growth” in place of the austerity plan by the outgoing government “that is not working”.

Mr O’Connor said the manifesto “reflects the social democratic movement across Europe which is at odds” with the emphasis by European governments “on austerity which is restricting the prospect of growth”.

General secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions David Begg said it would be prudent not to comment on the coalition negotiations.

He said that if Ictu was in negotiations, they would consider it unhelpful for the Labour Party to comment.

In his letter to Labour TDs, Mr White said: “In this case, the decision on the future of Irish politics lies solely with the Labour Party.

“We appreciate it is not an easy choice. It is tempting to move to the government side of Dáil Éireann, to bring influence to bear on the policies adopted by Fine Gael and to try to bring in elements of the progressive agenda.”

Unite called on Labour to “avoid becoming a cover for austerity measures that hurt the most vulnerable and the poorest in society, and instead to lead a coalition of the left in Opposition”.