A proposal from Labour leader Eamon Gilmore’s Dún Laoghaire constituency to more than triple party membership fees from €15 to €50 was comprehensively rejected at the national conference.
The motion sparked the most intense discussion on the final day of the annual conference in Galway, with the most vocal opposition from the party’s youth wing, who said an increase could not be countenanced in the current economic climate.
The proposal had called for €20 to be returned to the appropriate constituency council, and €5 returned to each appropriate branch.