The Workers' Party has condemned the decision of Dublin City Council to impose a £95 annual refuse charge in the city.
Mr Seán Ó Cionnaith described the actions of Labour councillors Mr Eamonn O'Brien, Mr Sean Kenny and Mr Anthony Creevy as treacherous.
"If the Labour Party has any self respect after this then it should throw out these Judas councillors who have betrayed election pledges which their party had restated no later than last week in leaflets circulated around the city," he stated.
He added: "It must particularly rankle with the leader of the Labour group on the City Council, Cllr Joe Costello who assured the city and the nation on national radio and television that his party was solid and would not support the Estimates if they included refuse charges".
Mr Ó Cionnaith also criticised the Green Party after the motion proposing the refuse charge was seconded by Green councillor Eamonn Ryan.
Yesterday's vote was carried by 25 to 22 in favour of the charges and came after the Minister for the Environment had placed a deadline on the council to adopt the Budget estimates for 2001 in which the issue of service charges had proved highly contentious.
Mr Dempsey was accused of "blackmail" and "holding the council to ransom" over the deadline. Independent councillor Mr Finian McGrath said the refuse charges amounted to a form of double taxation on ordinary PAYE workers.
The city manager said that the charges were as part of the council’s ambitious targets to recycle 60 per cent of its waste.