Major turnout at austerity marches urged

Trade unions leaders are urging members to march in their tens of thousands today against austerity and for a lifting of the national debt burden, despite this week’s bank debt deal.

There will be six marches starting at 1.30pm in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford, organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Some groups in the demonstrations have described events as “tokenistic”, saying people needed to “hear some real leadership from the trade union movement on how it’s going escalate resistance to austerity”.

An Ictu spokesman said although a “broad spectrum” of groups would be at the events, there would be only trade union speakers.