Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

It is astonishing that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment can deliver a speech within which there is not a single proposal to address the horrific circumstances facing the workers of Irish Ferries on the Isle of Inisfree and Ulysses. He has the absolute cheek to ask the labour movement for a new social partnership deal when 543 workers have been threatened, abused and frightened. Their families were in tears some weeks ago when they were trying to decide whether to accept redundancy and sell their own jobs. The labour movement has not faced such disgraceful events since 1912 and 1913 when our great predecessors protested over the activities of similar thugs who tried to intimidate the working people of this city.

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