The first official trade union march against the Dublin bin charges may take place as early as next week according to the Dublin Council of Trade Unions.
The executive of the council met last night and agreed to call a special delegate meeting for next Tuesday, October 7th, to discuss action against the charges.
The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) have put forward a motion calling for co-ordinated action by unions against service charges.
The DCTU are also proposing a march by trade unionists on October 11th at 3 p.m. from Parnell Square to Mountjoy Prison to call for the release of Mr Joe Higgins TD and Cllr Clare Daly.
The decision to take action was welcomed by the assistant general secretary of the TEEU, Mr Eamon Devoy, last night.
"The issue of local charges and double taxation is an important one for trade unionists and PAYE workers generally, despite recent comments by some trade union leaders," said Mr Devoy.
"The DCTU executive has now provided a forum where these issues can be thrashed out," he added.
Cllr Ruth Coppinger of the Fingal anti-bin tax campaign is hopeful the motion will be passed and that the march will go ahead.
"I would expect if the executive passed it, it would be approved at the meeting next Tuesday. There's a lot of support for this at ground level in the unions," said Ms Coppinger.
An protest opposing the bin charges was held outside the Dáil last night to mark the start of the new Dáil term. Organisers said that up to 2,000 people took part but the Garda said the demonstrators numbered some 600.
Ms Coppinger said the protesters were calling for the charges to be abolished, the non-collection policy to be ended, and the release of Mr Higgins and Ms Daly. Independent TD's Mr Finian McGrath and Mr Tony Gregory, and Sinn Féin's Mr Seán Crowe spoke at the rally.
Various resident groups such as the Association of Combined Residents Associations (ACRA) and the National Association of Tenants Organisation (NATO) spoke in support of the campaign.
"The Government should allow people to have their say on this issue in the local elections and then the Government can decide if they have a mandate on it or not," said Ms Coppinger.
Earlier yesterday morning, three Independent TDs, Ms Marian Harkin, Mr Liam Twomey and Mr Paudge Connolly, paid a "personal social visit" to Mr Higgins in Mountjoy Prison.
"He's in fair enough form but feeling a bit down at the length he got," Mr Connolly told The Irish Times last night.
"He feels he got a poor run of it from the media and that they brushed him aside and didn't listen to what he had to say," he said.
"Joe quoted me bin charges in Cork which have gone up 100 per cent from €190 to €380. He feels quite strongly that somebody on a council with no responsibility to the Dáil can decide to impose a tax such as this," said Mr Connolly.
He added that Mr Higgins was also calling for the amount of packaging on products to be reduced to help cut waste.
When asked if Mr Higgins was sorry to be missing the start of the Dáil term he said: "I've no doubt Joe would love to be in the Dáil as he was elected to do."