Trade unionists today urged Northern Ireland politicians to do more in the fight against sectarian killers.
After talks with the Deputy First Minister, Mr Mark Durkan in Belfast, representatives called on all sides to take a tough stance.
Mr Peter Bunting, assistant general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trades Unions, said the unions were "frustrated in many ways" with certain politicians.
|
|
Mr Mark Durkan
|
"Everybody seems to be convinced that they are non-sectarian. If politicians are non-sectarian let them show that leadership out in society.
"The trade union movement has always shown leadership and we're now calling for politicians to give inclusive leadership," he said.
The SDLP leader, Mr Durkan, met ICTU chiefs in a bid to find ways of dealing with the frightening upsurge in paramilitary violence.
He applauded the trade unionists for pressing ahead with a series of anti-sectarianism initiatives both in and out of the workplace.
"They are moving now as they have done not simply in reaction to one murder but in response to what is seen as a wider threat," he said.
He also agreed that all politicians must be united in their abhorrence of the attacks.
"We have to do more to make sure there's absolutely no ambiguity in the attitude of any political party to sectarian violence," he said.
A mass anti-sectarianism rally is scheduled for Belfast on Friday after its councillors backed Lord Mayor Alex Maskey's earlier suggestion.
PA
