Irish Congress of Trade Unions – Belfast Fight the Cuts Rally

Members of the Northern Ireland Fire Service
lead yesterday's march and rally
© Joe ÓNéill

Thousands of Trade Unionists in Belfast joined the hundreds of thousands of their comrades in Britain yesterday at rallies called to oppose government cuts in Public Services and jobs.

The march was led the members of the Northern Ireland Fire Service.

Amongst the speakers at yesterday’s rally was Peter Bunting, Assistant General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

‘’On May 5th'', said Bunting, ‘’our local political class will be answerable to us, and we must ask them the right questions on the doorstep and in every public forum and ensure that they get the message. They can do more to stop the cuts than any other group in Northern Ireland and they have a duty to work with us to rebuild and retain that social contract with the citizens and voters.

The next Assembly and Executive ought to work with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to form a united front against the cuts in the parts of Britain which are almost Tory-free zones, and pretty soon we will be rid of the Liberal Democrats as well.

Look across the border. The Greens were obliterated by an electorate disgusted with their collaboration with Fianna Fáil. Any political party tempted to parlay with these Tories will suffer the same fate.’’

Bunting also called on Trade Unionists to support a rally against cuts in education to be held by Students and Lecturers in Belfast on April 6.