MANDATE has called on its members and their families not to support parties or politicians who received "Ben Dunne's shilling" in the form of donations to election funds in the past.
There were several angry contributions to the debate on funding for political parties. A Dublin delegate, Ms Rhonda Donaghy, said: "Like everyone else I was appalled when the former managing director and chief executive of the firm I work for was found to be helping out a politician with extensions to his house.
"I stoically stood outside Dunnes Stores for five weeks fighting for a fair wage and expecting the Government to intervene. The revelations sent waves of shock and horror through the trade union movement. They had to show, through their voting power, that they were capable of sending waves through the establishment.
A Navan delegate, Ms Rosaleen O'Brien, said Mandate had 30,000 members and could influence the votes of at least 90,000 relatives and friends. "Employers lobby all political parties. They use and abuse their financial standing to achieve their aspirations," she said.
But "while big business can make large donations to political parties, they cannot guarantee the outcome of the ballot. We each have the same voting power as Ben Dunne". The conference also passed a motion criticising sections of the Working Time Bill which, delegates claimed, could allow employers to continue using zero hour" contracts.
Ms Aileen Morrissey of Dublin said employers were only obliged to give notice of changes in working hours 24 hours before the end of the previous working week. Many would exploit this section of the Bill if it became law.