Happy May Day

Posted on April 29, 2016

May Day is celebrated as a workers' holiday throughout the world. The Labour Party introduced the May Day public holiday in 1994.

Since 1994, we have done a lot more for workers' rights :

• Increased the minimum wage - twice.
• Introduced collective bargaining rights for all workers
• Gave Dads two weeks paternity leave to spend time with their families 

While much has been achieved the fight for workers continues. We believe that the next big issue for workers is a Living Wage. We believe that everyone who is working should earn enough to live on. We support the introduction of a Living Wage of €11.50 per hour.

If you would like to join our campaign get involved here. Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter.

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We need to work together to restore the social Europe

Posted on April 21, 2016

Today, our Party Leader Joan Burton spoke in the Dáil about a possible British Exit of the European Union. The Tánaiste spoke about the benefits of being a member of the European Union and said that the Union is better and stronger together.

The EU has been an essential force not just in building peace, but spreading democracy. Similarly, it has been an essential force not just in promoting prosperity, but equality and human rights. It was the EU which put equal pay on the agenda, the EU which prioritised the rights of people with disabilities.

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Sign Up to Labour Youth's #EndPayDiscrimination Campaign

Posted on April 20, 2016

Labour Youth wants to see all people paid the same rate of pay for the same work. People's pay should not be subject to discrimination on the grounds of age or gender. We believe that it is crucial in the fight for equality that equal work deserves equal pay.

[Sign up to help Labour Youth #EndPayDiscrimination]

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Party Leader Joan Burton at Women in Media Conference 2016

Posted on April 20, 2016

Last weekend our Party Leader Joan Burton spoke at the Women in Media Ballybunion Conference.

The Tánaiste spoke about the issues female candidates had to overcome in the General Election, the lack of female voices in ongoing Government negotiations and sexism she faced in the media through out the General Election campaign.

Our Head of Online, Shauneen Armstrong also spoke at the conference over the weekend outlining the role social media played in ‪#‎GE16‬ and the role social media will have in political campaigning going forward.

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#Seanad16 - Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Posted on April 12, 2016

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is our Seanad candidate for the Industrial and Commercial Panel. Read more about his campaign below.

I believe in a more tolerant, more equal, and more diverse Ireland. I am ambitious for our country and I want to continue to champion the ideas that I pursued as a Minister of State.

Crucially, I want to continue my work on drug policy reform. I believe that we must ensure that addicts are given respect and appropriate access to treatment. I fundamentally support the appropriate resourcing of the local and regional drugs task forces and believe that it is important that drug addiction is treated at a local level with local services.

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Frankfurt’s way? I don’t think so! - writes Deputy Penrose in today's Irish Times

Posted on April 04, 2016

Deputy Willie Penrose has written in today's letters page in the Irish Times saying 'claims made by our political opponents at face value, rather than looking at what we actually achieved' - you can see what he said below.  

Sir, – The grasp of the facts displayed by The Irish Times in its editorial “What now for the Labour Party” is sadly lacking (April 1st).

For instance, the claim made that Labour promised to “burn the bondholders” does not stand up to scrutiny. It never happened. The Labour Party made no such commitment.

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Bookending our offer to the people

Posted on March 10, 2016

Today, the 32nd Dail is meeting for the first time.

Speaking in the chamber for the first time since the General Election, I said that while The Labour Party had sought a mandate to continue in government with Fine Gael to rebuild our economy and our society, we accepted that that proposal had not won the support of the Irish people. Nevertheless, we are proud of our work over the last five years. We are proud of how we pulled the country back from the brink, got people working, and delivered a growing economy.

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Day 22 : #GE16 Only Labour will Provide Fair and Balanced Government

Posted on February 24, 2016

At our final press conference before the General Election, Party Leader Joan Burton, Ministers Brendan Howlin and Alex White outlined our commitment to providing a fair and balanced government.

[Read our manifesto for Standing Up For Ireland's Future]

Tánaiste Joan Burton said: “Labour is the only party offering this progressive policy choice and the only party willing and able to deliver it in Government. I want to see us deliver on this programme by returning the current Government.

Our track record is one of managing the recovery responsibly & fairly. @Labour will deliver a fair government #GE16 pic.twitter.com/ksDuVppmbK

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Day 21 : #GE16 Only Labour will deliver a Living Wage and Full Employment

Posted on February 23, 2016

This morning Party Leader Joan Burton and our candidate in Dublin South-Central visited Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Newmarket Dublin 8 to highlight our jobs plan.

[Read our Standing up for Jobs plan here]

The Labour Party is the party of work and opportunity, the party that stands up for working people. The recovery we’re driving has already created more than 135,000 new jobs and we will shortly have more than two million people at work.

Speaking at the visit of Teeling Whiskey Distillery, Tánaiste Joan Burton complimented the work of Jack and Stephen Teeling on making a real Irish success story.

Companies like @TeelingWhiskey are the way we will get 150,000 more people back to work - @joanburton #GE16 pic.twitter.com/HqWQZhP2mg

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Hotpress Endorses Labour Party in #GE16

Posted on February 22, 2016

In the most recent edition of Hotpress Magazine, Niall Stokes has endorsed Labour's offering in #GE16.

[Read The Message - Niall Stokes on the election's burning issues]

"In the immediate future we could forget about Repealing the 8th. We would also be faced with complete stasis on one of the great scandals of modern Irish life: the control exerted by religious vested interests over Irish schools, an issue on which neither of the dominant political parties will take any risks whatsoever. We could also look forward to a wave of privatisation; the ongoing, abysmal treatment of refugees; further cuts in social welfare – and so on. 

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