Sir, - As a member of SIPTU, I was horrified to discover that I am forced to help fund a political party (Labour) that I do not support and that does not in any way represent my interests or concerns as a worker. I never gave my consent to funding the Labour Party, and it was only during recent media discussions of the scandals surrounding the funding of the establishment parties that I discovered that this was the case. This is totally wrong and it is time for it to stop.
Why should I, or thousands of other union members be forced to donate money from our hard-earned wages to a party we do not support? If SIPTU and other unions wish to fund or make donations to political parties, then surely the best way to do that would be to have each union member indicate to which party his/her donation should go.
Apart from the injustice of taking money from members in this manner, funding and aligning itself solely with the Labour Party damages the effectiveness of the union. In the past, we have seen how, when Labour was in Government, union leaders were reluctant to take it on, even when trade union members and their interests were clearly under attack.
What is now needed is for SIPTU and the other unions to become a trade union movement that is independent and not aligned with or funding any party from the political establishment. Ending the funding of Labour could be the first step in creating a real and powerful voice for the workers of this country. - Yours, etc.,
Gerard Regan, Ash Grove, Maugheraboy, Co Sligo.