WORLD BRIEFING / IRELAND
About 100,000 people filled the streets of the Irish capital to protest the government’s handling of the country’s economic crisis, police said.
The march through the heart of Dublin, organized by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, was meant as a warning shot to the government, which wants to cut public sector pay even as it pumps billions of dollars into its troubled banks.
The government has contended that wage reductions are needed to keep Ireland’s ballooning deficits under control and reassure international markets that the country isn’t spiraling toward a default.
But the plan, which would dock 7% from the paychecks of 350,000 workers, comes amid revelations of shady dealings and irresponsible lending at the banks now getting the taxpayers’ help.
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