Republican News · Thursday 17 October 2002

SIPTU Regional votes 'No'

Delegates to SIPTU's Dublin Regional Conference last weekend defied the ICTU and SIPTU's executive council and voted to oppose the Nice Treaty, (by 184 votes to 134) on the grounds that "it opens the way to greater military intervention and further economic liberalism".

A key argument was that the Nice treaty promotes the privatisation of our semi-states, a subject of some concern to trade unionists now in Ireland.

There was strong debate at the conference. Roger Cole from the Peace and Neutrality Alliance was invited to address delegates, as was Prionsias De Rossa for the Yes voters. Cole argued that the ICTU has taken members for granted in calling for a yes vote. Members, he said, were well able to make up their own minds.

Most speakers supporting a No vote expressed their concern that the treaty sets up the legal framework for the European army, (the Rapid Reaction Force), which can undertake military action up to 2,500 miles from the frontiers of the expanded EU.