SIPTU PRESIDENT Jack O’Connor says the union will not be apologising for releasing details of the personal mobile numbers of senior Government politicians, which resulted in a number of Ministers receiving abusive calls over the weekend.
Last week Siptu published contact details for senior Government politicians as part of a lobbying campaign against the decision to cut the national minimum wage rate in its online newsletter which is circulated to 24,000 people.
The mobile phones of a number of senior Ministers – principally Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern and Minister for Health Mary Harney – were swamped by text messages, some abusive, concerning the Government decision to lower the minimum wage.
A number of Ministers changed their mobile phone numbers following the incident because their numbers had been compromised.
They did so, said spokespeople, because of the security implications and the practical difficulties of using their phones on a day-to- day basis when they were being inundated with unsolicited calls and texts.
The spokesman for Mr Ahern expressed surprise at Mr O’Connor’s decision not to apologise for the incident.
“I must say that I am a little surprised that somebody in his position in society has not expressed some aspect of regret, or acknowledging that releasing the mobile numbers of Ministers is not acceptable.
“It is not practical if the mobile phone number is known to everybody. It would be impossible to function or operate properly.”
Mr O’Connor said yesterday he had authorised the lobbying campaign but that he had not expected that personal mobile numbers would be included.
He said the personal mobile numbers had been published in error and that the original circulation had been withdrawn and replaced by another which did not contain this information. However he said that he would not be apologising.
“The day for apologising to this Government is over. They crossed the Rubicon by cutting the minimum wage.”