People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said,
“Trade unionists and anti-poverty campaigners from Derry and the North West were well represented at the Irish Congress of Trade Union’s Cost of Living Crisis march on Stormont.
The message from speaker after speaker representing workers in the public, private and community sectors was frustration with the DUP and years of Stormont inaction on hardship, anger at profiteering by big companies and a willingness to take action to address pay cuts and broader inequality.
The biggest cheers at the rally were for RMT leader Mick Lynch and striking rail workers.
The message from those at the march has put the corporate and political establishment on notice.
We welcome the ICTU announcement that the march is the beginning of a 6 month campaign to tackle the cost of living crisis.
The ICTU and its member unions should now commit to providing resources and support to develop strong local campaigns and to encourage all workers to demand real pay uplifts.
People Before Profit will be working to develop grassroots campaign and strike solidarity networks to defend working class communities in the face of relentless hardship costs.
With Stormont down, and ineffective when up, people power movements and trade union demands for real pay rises are key to hardship action for workers and the least well-off across our communities.”