Co-location of hospitals the key issue, say trade unionists

The main issue for any party or Independent considering entering government with Fianna Fáil must be an end to privatisation in the health service, a number of trade unionists have said.

Mike Jennings, a former Siptu regional secretary and now general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, said the credibility of the Green Party and "left-leaning" Independents such as Finian McGrath and Tony Gregory would be "seriously undermined" if they were to support a government that included Mary Harney as minister for health.

Jack O'Connor, general secretary of Siptu, said his preference would be for the Labour Party "if invited" to engage in talks with Fianna Fáil on the basis of an end to the policy of co-locating private hospitals on public hospital land.

He said his comments to a private meeting of the Labour Party executive, reported in yesterday's Sunday Business Post, had not been intended for public consumption, and he was not seeking publicity for his views.

"But I want to emphasise I am not saying the Labour Party should go cap-in-hand to Fianna Fáil. However, if the circumstances presented themselves, that the Labour Party were invited to negotiate, my members would not understand it if the party chose not to take the opportunity to oppose the privatisation of the health service, to get a serious level of investment in housing, to achieve legislation to protect workers."

Asked whether a key issue for the Labour Party should be a guarantee that Ms Harney would not get the health portfolio, Mr O'Connor said he was "not out to get Mary Harney".

He added, however: "I think it follows logically that Labour would not support the government if there was a continuation of co-location.

"I have a great regard for Mary Harney as a committed individual, who is committed to the public interest as she sees it, but I disagree with every word that comes out of her mouth."

Mr Jennings said he had faxed a letter to the Green Party as well as to Mr Gregory and Mr McGrath describing privatisation in the health service as "the central ideological question before the people".