Congress to Brief Finnish Unions on Irish Crisis

9 May 2011

A senior Congress delegation will meet tomorrow (May 10) with representatives of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) as part of on ongoing initiative to create a better understanding of the crisis in Ireland and to help shape a resolution.

The delegation with meet with the leadership of SAK in Helsinki on Tuesday and brief them on the reality of the Irish crisis and the failure of the austerity programme. The Congress delegation is comprised of President Jack O'Connor, General Secretary David Begg and Economic Advisor Paul Sweeney.

Last month, they met with leaders of the main German unions - the DGB - in Berlin and are scheduled to meet with Dutch unions in June.

According to Congress General Secretary David Begg, the meetings are designed to create a more accurate picture of the Irish situation abroad and also to build the case for an EU wide resolution of the problem.

"This crisis is not confined to Ireland," Mr Begg said. "In many respects the problem in Ireland is just a manifestation of a wider EU banking and debt crisis and it requires resolution at that level. Yet, three years on, we have seen no action to tackle the problems in the EU banking system."

Mr Begg said that if the EU persists with its "incremental and minimalist" approach to the crisis then it will push Ireland into a disorderly default, which has huge implications for the entire Eurozone.

"That is a point we will be impressing upon our colleagues in Helsinki," Mr Begg said.

 

ends