BY STEPHANIE LORD

ATGWU say no to nuclear power

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has called for a full debate on the use of nuclear power in the context of Ireland’s future energy needs at the launch of a Congress paper on energy, Towards a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland.
ICTU General Secretary David Begg has said that, “We should not foreclose or rule out one serious possible option, namely nuclear power, especially given our high dependency on fossil fuels.” Later, the ATGWU one of the main unions in ESB issued a statement outlining how it was “fully opposed to the introduction of nuclear power stations in Ireland and rejects the ICTU recommendation that serious consideration be given to nuclear energy”. Brendan Ogle, an ATGWU branch organiser went on to say that nuclear energy was prohibited in Ireland by legislation “and that’s the way the matter should stand”.

Latvian crew refuse to unload ship in Louth

Eleven crew members of a Latvian flagged vessel are refusing to unload the ship’s cargo at its berth in Greenore, County Louth. The crew workers aboard the “Fortuna 1” have claimed that they haven’t been paid since November. International Transport Federation inspector Ken Fleming has stated that “the 11 crewmen on board are supposed to earn basic pay of €257 per month, which is far below minimum international labour organisation rates. Some of these men have been working up to 300 hours per month”.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on workers’ rights Arthur Morgan TD called for the Irish government to intervene; “This is a ship registered to Latvia and it is an absolute scandal that a ship registered to another EU country can dock in an Irish port and the ship’s owners expect that they can flagrantly breach international labour organisation rates. Sinn Féin is calling for the Irish government to intervene in this case and ensure that these workers are paid what they are rightfully owed.”