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Siptu's Dublin regional president has criticised the Government and opposition parties for the current state of the public sector, launching an attack against recent calls for job cuts in the public sector, the two-tier health system and the recent Budget.

Addressing the union's conference in the Mansion House this afternoon, Jack McGinleycalled on union members to resist attempts to outsource traditional services provided by the public sector.

"We have to defend our pay and conditions but we have a duty of care to make sure that services paid for out of the public purse by Sean & Mary Citizen are delivered at the highest quality, with the greatest speed, and during increased opening hours so that we meet standards being delivered by competing interests in the private sector operators or we will find ourselves with a shrinking share of the work," he said.